The Legend of Suicune
by Shadowstalker92
Summary: Jake has had what one may call a troubled past. With neither parent around, he had to take care of himself. His mother once told him a story of a legendary Pokemon and soon he discovers it may be more than a story. Rated M for Adult Content
1. Ch 1: Fisrt Sighting

_**The Legend of Suicune**_

**_Chapter 1: First Sighting_**

_Why? What did I do to deserve this?_ Jake asked himself. He was 18 years old and dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a tee shirt. He sat on the shores of Crystal Lake, a lake that was located deep in the forest just outside Mistfall City. Jake had lived there for as long as he could remember; not that living there was really worth remembering.

Jake had what one would call a troubled childhood. Not long after he was born, his father took a job that had him constantly away from his family. His father didn't care thought. He would rather be making money than be spending time with his family.

Jake's mother was forced to take care of him on her own as well as work to provide for themselves. His father came home about once or twice a month…sometimes once or twice every few months. The strain of having to work and take care of her son soon began to take its toll on her health and she soon became ill.

In the end, she died. Jake's father was forced to find closer work in order to take care of his son, something that he did very little of. Even though he was now working closer to home, his father spent so much time at work, the Jake still very rarely seen him. Jake was forced to learn how to take care of himself since he couldn't rely on his father.

He did odd jobs around town to make a little bit of money here and there. He even did work with the town's professor, Professor Steelheart. Steelheart dedicated his life to studying Pokémon. Jake loved helping Professor Steelheart and learning about Pokémon. He always wanted to become a Pokémon trainer, but with having to take care of himself, he had little time.

When the other kids would turn 10, they would go to Professor Steelheart to receive their first Pokémon. Jake could only sit back and watch the few friends he had leave the town; embarking on their new adventures. Jake longed to leave everything behind; to start his own adventure and make new good memories to replace the old bad ones.

Jake sighed and looked out over the lake. The mist hovered peacefully over the still waters below. Jake loved coming to the lake. When he was younger, his mother would always take him to the lake. She would tell him stories of a very powerful and rare Pokémon that was said to stand guard over the lake and the surrounding forest.

Jake went to the lake not only to enjoy the calm quietness of his lonely hideout, but to hopefully catch a glimpse of the legendary Pokémon his mother spoke of. With another sigh, he picked up a flat rock and threw it across the lake as hard as he could. It skipped several times before vanishing beneath the ripples it created.

A noise caused him to look overhead. A small flock of Pidgey flew overhead. Even higher up, Jake noticed a Fearow floating lazily on the air currents. The lake and surrounding forest were teeming with Pokémon.

Jake turned and noticed a Stantler walking through the mist. A Noctowl ruffled its feathers and awaited the dawn and its upcoming sleep in a nearby tree. Jake rubbed his arms to warm them before skipping another rock on the lake. It was moments before sunrise and a light chill had settled in with the mist.

Jake would wait for the sun to rise before heading back into town. He stood up and stretched his legs to wake them. He had been sitting there for nearly an hour. Slowly the sun started to peek over the horizon. It bathed the valley in its warmth as it began to rise higher.

He headed back up the small trail, quickening his pace when he seen the town. A few people were awake and getting ready for the day. A few of the shop keepers had two and three story building with their story being on the ground floor and their homes being on the floors above. Others had single floor stores with their homes next door.

Jake walked down the street, giving a slight wave here and there. Mr. Polkins, a baker, stood outside his shop sweeping the walk in front of it. His Espeon sat next to him. He looked up and waved Jake over when he seen him.

"Good morning, Jake." The old man said.

"Morning, Mr. Polkins." He replied. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm doing fine. And how are you?" he asked.

"I'm good, just heading back from the lake." He looked down as something brushed his leg. It was the Espeon. It purred lightly as it rubbed against his legs weaving between them. Jake crouched and scratched its back which made it purr more.

"You were always good with Pokémon." Polkins said with a laugh. Jake laughed in return and stood up.

"Yea…they just seem to like me." He replied. "Well, I gotta head home and get ready. The professor needs my help today."

"Before you go, I have something for you." The old man said setting his broom aside.

"You don't have to give me anything." Jake stated. The old man entered his shop and then returned a minute later. He handed Jake a small wrapped parcel.

"Here is a fresh loaf of pecha bread I made. Why don't you go ahead and take it."

"I just can't take this. Here, let me pay for it." Jake said, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket, but the old man just waved his hand.

"Nah. You do so much work around here and not a lot of people thank you for it. And besides, I use some of those pecha berries you brought me the other day."

Jake smiled.

"Well, if you insist." He said.

"I do." Polkins replied. Jake nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Polkins. This will make a nice breakfast."

"It was nothing. Now you best run along. Don't want to keep Steelheart waiting."

Jake thanked him again before hurrying home. It wasn't long before his house came into view. It was a small three bedroom house with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. He fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Stepping inside, he flipped on the light and kicked off his shoes. He then slipped off his pack and went into the kitchen. The pot of coffee he had made earlier was still warm so he poured himself a cup and sat at the counter to eat breakfast.

Once done, he went up to his room to get ready for work. His room was somewhat small, but he found it to be just right. One the far wall was his dresser and a TV set on a small stand next to it. To the left of that was a book shelf in the corner. Next to that was his computer desk with his laptop on it.

His bed stretched from the computer to the wall. The remaining corner had a door which opened up into his closet. He had a few personal items set here and there. In the corner next to his dresser was his guitar and next to his closet door was his laundry hamper.

He got dressed and took notice that he would need to wash clothes that afternoon. He slipped his laptop, camera and notebook in his pack and clicked off the light. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before he made sure everything was cut off before he slipped on his shoes and left.

He locked the door behind him and walked around the side of the house to the garage.

It contained a small two door truck that his dad had been working on but never finished. Jake managed to get it in running order in his free time. There was also his red Yamaha TRZ. He bought it at New Hope City; a bustling portside city near the ocean a few towns over.

Jake looked at the sky. The sun was shining brightly, but there was a crisp breeze blowing. He pulled on his leather jacket and gloves before backing his motorcycle out of the garage and closing it. He slipped on his helmet and kicked the engine into life.

The bike rumbled beneath him. He revved the engine and made his way down the road to Professor Steelheart's lab. The lab was located outside of town just past some farmland. As Jake rounded the bend, he slid to a stop.

A farmer was moving a herd of Mareep across the road. He sat atop a Ponyta and was directing an Umbreon that was herding them. The dark-type Pokémon ran alongside them barking occasionally. A few minutes later, the road was clear and Jake continued on his way.

He came over a hill and the lab came into view. From the looks of it, the other assistants were already there. Steelheart had two assistants. Jonas was a guy, about a year older than Jake. Lily was the other. She was a few years older than him. She was also Steelheart's daughter. Jonas usually helped Steelheart in the lab with his research while Lily helped take care of the Pokémon on the grounds. Jake helped where ever it was needed.

He rode up to the lab and cut the engine. He put his gloves in his helmet and hung it from the handlebars. He strolled to the front door and entered the code on the keypad. The door slide open and closed behind him after he walked through. He found Jonas working on sorting some research papers.

"Morning, Jake." He said.

"Hey, Jonas." He replied. "Have you seen the Professor?"

"Yea, he should be in his office."

"Thanks." He hung his jacket on the coat rack and slipped on a lab coat. He then made his way to Professor Steelheart's office. The door was open. Jake stopped at the doorway. The Professor was sitting at his desk, deep in thought as he looked over some papers. His Ninetails lay next to his desk. Jake knocked on the doorway and Steelheart looked up.

"Ahh, Jake. Come in, come in." he said setting the papers down and beckoning to him. As soon as Jake stepping into the office, the Ninetails lifted its head. When it seen Jake, it jumped to its feet and ran to him. It then jumped up and began to lick his face happily.

"Easy, girl." Jake said. "I'm happy to see you too."

"Amber." Professor Steelheart said sharply. The Ninetails looked at him and then returned to her spot next to his desk. Jake took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Sorry about that." He added.

"It's no problem, Professor." Jake insisted.

"So, how are you today?" Steelheart asked.

"I'm good." He replied. "I was wondering if you needed any help in the lab today."

"Well, to be honest, Jonas has got it covered for right now…it has been a slow morning. I think Lily may need some help though. Why don't you take one of the jeeps and head out back…I think she is in the north quarter."

"Alright, I'll take a walkie…call if anything comes up."

"Will do."

Jake grabbed a two way radio and a set of keys to one of the jeeps. Jonas stopped him before he headed out back.

"Yo, Jake. You headed out to help Lily?"

"Yea, why?"

"You might want to take a dart gun. Some of the Pokémon have been acting a bit aggressive lately. I think it's mating season for the Ryhorn and maybe even the Tauros."

"Thanks. I'd hate to be trampled by a rutting Tauros in full charge." Jake went over to the gun case and pulled out one of the Lindstradt Tranquilizer Rifles. It was a bolt action dart gun with a 5 capacity magazine. Jake grabbed an extra mag just in case.

He headed out back to the garage. It normally held two Jeep Wrangler land rovers, a quad bike, and two dirt bikes. One of the jeeps was missing. Jake put his gear in the back seat and climbed behind the wheel of the other jeep.

He turned the key and the engine hummed to life. They used battery powered vehicles for two reasons. They were better for the environment and they made very little noise so they would not startle any Pokémon while driving around.

He pressed a small button on the dashboard which opened the garage door. Jake stepped on the gas and the jeep took off with little more than a low hum. The Professor said Lily was in the north quarter so Jake turned the wheel and bumped down the trail.

Jake zoomed down the trail with a big grin on his face. He loved the felling of freedom he got when driving. He laughed as he hit a bump in the trail sending the jeep a few feet in the air before it landed with a hard thump.

He continued down the trail until a jeep in the distance caught his sight. As he neared, he honked his horn. The figure in the jeep turned and waved a hand. Jake slid the jeep to a stop a few feet behind Lily's jeep as she got out. He cut the engine as she stepped up.

"Love to make an entrance don't you?" she said with a light laugh.

"Nah, if I wanted to make an entrance, I would have ramped off that hill over there hollering at the top of my lungs." He replied with a grin.

"I take it that Dad didn't need help at the lab?" she asked.

"You know me, never did like working indoors."

"I guess your right on that one and with it being such a nice day today, I can see why you wouldn't want to."

"So, anything going on today? Jonas said something about the Ryhorn and Tauros were in mating season."

"Yea, I noticed they were a bit more aggressive than usual. I was just about to head over to the west quarter and check on some things over there. You know we just had that Rapidash hurt its leg. I wanted to take a look at it and see if it was healing properly."

"Mind if I tag along?" Jake asked.

"Not at all, let me just finish taking some observations on the Kangaskhan and we can head over there."

Jake sat back in his seat and scanned to the left. There was a small herd of Kangaskhan. There were what appeared to be several females, most with babies in their pouches. There was also a male, which stood about a foot or two taller than the females. Lily was looking through a pair of binoculars and taking notes in a notebook on her lap.

Jake stared off until a loud bellow from his left startled him. He looked over to see a lone Kangaskhan approaching the herd. The male set out to meet the intruder. The new Kangaskhan was a lone male hoping to find a herd of females for himself. The two males squared off. Jake grabbed his camera and clicked it to film mode and began recorded the standoff.

The new male was still young and did not have the experience as the older male, but that wasn't going to stop him. With a roar, he charged the old male who roared in return. The force of the two males hitting was massive. They continued to slam and pound into each other. Jake could almost feel the pressure of each blow.

The older male had had enough and pulled its arm back before striking the younger male in a punching like fashion, leaving the young male somewhat dazed and confused looking.

"Wow, that was a Dizzy Punch, and I got it on film." Jake said behind the camera.

The older male pulled his arm back to strike again. The younger male shook his head and came to his senses in enough time to see it coming and turned tail and left. The older male released a triumphant roar at the retreating male.

Jake let out a little cheer. This however caught the attention of the older male who turned and faced them. He stomped the ground and looked as if he was about to charge. After seeing what just happened, Jake didn't plan on sticking around.

"Lily…uh…I think it's time we go." He said shutting off his camera, tossing it in the passenger seat and turning on the jeep. She seemed to agree as she spotted the male making his way towards them. She jumped in her jeep starting it and they both made their way down the trail away from the advancing Kangaskhan.

"That could have turned out badly." Lily said over the radio. Jake agreed. They continued down the trail as they headed to the west quarter. It took the several minutes to get there since the property was fairly large. They pulled their jeeps off the road and shut them off.

"So, you say there is an injured Rapidash?" Jake asked. Lily nodded.

"We had one hurt its leg a few days ago. We reset the leg and bandaged it. We just need to check on it and see if the leg is healing properly. If not, we may have to transfer it to the Pokémon Center in Roanar City."

Jake knew that Roanar City was just over the mountain, it was the closets city to them, but it was still a day's drive on a good day because of the mountains between them. They could use the P.T.S. or Pokémon Transportation System to send it there. The P.T.S. was the same system trainers used whenever they were they were swapping Pokémon on their team via PC at a Pokémon Center.

"Well, we better find it and check on it." Jake said.

They grabbed a med-kit and the dart-gun from Jake's jeep. They may need to use it to sedate the Rapidash in order to get a better look at it without it hurting them or itself. They made their way across the field to where the Ponyta and Rapidash usually stay.

They saw a decent herd of Pokémon as they reached the crown of a nearby hill. They counted about 18 Pokémon in all; about 8 Rapidash and 10 Ponyta. The one they were looking for was on the edge of the herd, putting as little weight as possible on its left front leg.

"Let's try to move a little closer." Lily suggested quietly. Jake nodded silently. They got as low as they could and moved slowly towards the heard. Rapidash we not normally aggressive Pokémon but they still could lash out with their hooves if they felt threatened or that they needed to protect their young.

They managed to get to the edge of the tall grass near the clearing the Pokémon were in. The only question they had was whether or not the Rapidash was going to cooperate or not. Jake wasn't about to let Lily put herself in danger, so he set the dart gun on the ground and slow inched his way to the edge of the clearing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lily hissed, keeping an eye on the Rapidash.

"I'm getting closer to see how bad it is." He replied.

"Are you crazy? A quick blow to the head with one of their hooves can kill you."

"I know what I'm doing." He snapped back. Slowly, he took one step after another towards the herd. He managed to close in half the distance before a Ponyta noticed him. It let out a neigh causing the rest of the herd to look at him.

Jake stopped in his tracks. A few of the Rapidash took a few steps forward, staring him down. Jake slowly held his hands out to the side and began creeping forward. One of the Rapidash snorted in agitation and pawed at the ground. Jake stopped again.

"It's alright." Jake said in a calm voice. "I'm just here to check in that injured Rapidash." He said pointing to it slowly. The lead Rapidash snorted again and advanced towards him, its fiery mane flaring up. Out the corner of his eye, Jake saw Lily ready the dart gun to fire. He motioned lightly with his hand for her to stand down.

The Rapidash circled him sniffing his pack as it did. Jake made no sudden movements. Its hooves were easily as hard as a diamond if not harder. He dared not to think what one could do to his head it things took a turn for the worst.

The Rapidash gave a satisfied snort and trotted back to the herd. Jake slowly walked forward, still not wanting to make any aggressive or threatening movements. The injured Rapidash stared at Jake as he approached. It snorted and took a step back as he neared.

"It's alright." Jake said calmly. "I'm only here to help." The Rapidash's ears stood forward showing that it was rather interested in what he was doing there. Jake knew that if that if its ears were lying back, he would never get anywhere near it.

He reached into a side pocket on his pack and pulled out a handful of berries. He held them out for the Rapidash. It stretched its neck forward as it sniffed the berries before taking a few steps forward so it could reach them. It seemed to really like the rawst berries.

While he held the berries in one hand, he used the other to gently stroke the horse-like Pokémon down the bridge of its nose. It nickered lightly. Jake slowly moved towards its injured leg, which it was stepping on lightly. The Rapidash pranced nervously as he reached for it.

"It's alright." He reassured as he patted its neck. He slowly unraveled the bandages and took a close look at the leg. The injured area was swollen and a light reddish purple color. Jake reached into his pack and fished out a super potion he had.

"Now this may sting a little, but it will help you heal faster." Jake said. He sprayed the potion on the bruised and swollen area. The Rapidash tossed its head and let out a slight neigh of pain. The other Rapidash rounded to him encase Jake should hurt it anymore.

Jake slowly rubbed the medicine into the skin being careful not to cause it anymore pain. He could feel the muscles tremble lightly under his touch. When he finished applying the medicine, he took some fresh bandages and rewrapped the leg. Once done, he slipped his things back into his pack and stood up.

"That's about all I can do." He said. The Rapidash tested its leg gingerly. It was still not putting its full weight on it, put it was putting more on it that it was previously. It nickered lightly with delight as it nuzzled Jake's cheek.

"You're welcome." He replied as he rubbed its neck. He noticed that the flames of its mane did not burn him which meant that it trusted him. With Ponyta and Rapidash, they allow people near them out of trust. If they trusted you enough, you could pet or even ride them without getting burned.

Jake gave it one last berry before heading back to Lily. She sat in the grass with a somewhat relieved look on her face.

"How was it?" she asked as they made their way back to the jeeps.

"It was still a bit swollen and bruised…but it should heal up here in a few days, maybe a week at the most." He replied. Lily sighed.

"I still don't see how you were able to get so close to them that easily." She stated. "I know they wouldn't have let me near the herd."

"I don't know either." Jake admitted. "I don't even really think about it too much; I just do it. I guess they trusted me enough to get closer."

"So, what are you saying? That I'm not trustworthy or something?" She said suddenly rounding to face him. Jake didn't know why she was mad all of a sudden.

"Not at all." He replied putting his hands up. "I'm just saying that people have to speak from their hearts when dealing with Pokémon. Once they see that you truly mean them now harm and that you plan on keeping your word, they will trust you."

"I know all this already." She snapped. "I didn't get to be my father's assistant out of dumb luck."

"What the hell is your problem?" Jake asked. "You act like I'm coming here to try and take your job or something."

"I just don't get it." She said. "I go through all this studying with my father to be able to get this job and you just come in one day asking to help and you get it no trouble."

"Look, I didn't ask for any of this." Jake said suddenly getting louder. "I can't help it. No matter where I go, wither they are wild or tame, most Pokémon just trust me…it's just how I am."

"But what makes you so fucking different from me…huh? Answer me that."

"I don't know. If I the damn answer I would have told you. Maybe it would get you to stay off my case. You know, I have to deal with enough shit without you bitching to me about how you think I'm trying to take your job." Lily was about to respond but Jake didn't let her.

"Let me let you in on a secret. If I wanted you job so damn badly, I could have taken it the first day I walking in here two years ago. You know it and I know it. But I didn't." Jake stormed past her and was about to climb into his jeep.

"Why didn't you?" she asked. Jake stopped with one foot in the jeep.

"Because I considered you a friend." He replied bluntly over his shoulder. He got in the jeep and turned it on. He then turned around and sped off leaving Lily dumbfounded in a cloud of dust. He drove back to the lab where he parked the jeep in the garage and stormed inside. He replaced the dart gun back in its case and hung the jeep's keys back on their hook.

"What's up?" Jonas asked.

"Nothing." Jake replied as he hung up his lab coat and slipped on his jacket. "I'm done for the day; I'm gonna head home."

"Okay." Jonas replied confused.

Jake headed out to his bike. He yanked on his gloved and put his helmet on, strapping the chin strap. He turned the key and the bike roared to life once more. Revving the engine, he darted out of the lab parking lot and down the road back to town.

As he headed down the road, he was suddenly startled by sirens behind him. Looking in the mirror, he saw a motorbike with flashing blue lights behind him. He glanced down at his speedometer. It read 58 mph, almost 20 over the speed limit.

"Son of a bitch." He said to himself. Be clicked on his blinkers and pulled off to the side of the road. The police bike pulled up behind him. He shut off his bike and slipped off his helmet and hung it from his handle bars.

The officer climbed of the bike and made their way to his. The officer stepped up and lifted the visor on their helmet. It was the local Officer Jenny.

"Do you know how fast you were going?" she asked sternly. "The speed limit through here if 40 miles per hour you know."

"Yes, Officer Jenny. I know." He replied. I just had a lot on my mind and didn't know how fast I was going until you turned on your lights." She stood there for a moment as if she was thinking about what to do next.

"Hmmm…" she said. "You seem to be honestly telling the truth."

"I'm really sorry for speeding. Like I said, I didn't know until it was too late."

"I guess it's your lucky day today. I have bigger problems over near Mistfall City, so I'm gonna give you a warning this time."

"Thank you, ma'am." Jake replied. "What…What's going on it Mistfall City?" he asked, worried.

"I'm not really obliged to tell you that. Now, I have to go. Try not to speed anymore." She turned to walk back to her bike.

"Wait…" Jake called out. "I'm from Mistfall City…what is going on over there?" Officer Jenny stopped.

"Hmm. Well, maybe you can help me. Have you seen any suspicious looking people around lately?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

"I was given word that some Pokémon poachers were seen in the area."

"Well, I haven't seen anyone aside from the usual, but I can keep an eye out if you need me to."

"Please do." She said. "And by all means, be careful." She warned. "These people could be armed and dangerous."

"Will do." Jake said with a nod. Jenny smiled.

"Well then, I need to hurry over to Mistfall City. Promise me you won't go speeding again."

"I promise."

"Good, now be careful." She hopped back on her bike and she took of past him. Jake sighed. He put his helmet back on and started back down the road.

_Man that was too close._ He thought to himself. _I can't afford to get a ticket._ He continued on his way home, making sure to drive the speed limit. It wasn't long before he was home. Jake parked his bike in the garage and headed inside.

He slipped off his shoes and looked at the clock. It was just after 12 o'clock. He got some laundry started before he got started on lunch. He threw together a quick sandwich with some chips on the side. He grabbed a cold soda from the fridge before making his way to the living room.

He sat on the couch and turned on the television and flipped over to the local news station to check the weather for the next week. He then began scanning through the channels. He stopped on the Battle Channel. They were always airing shows on strategies of showing recent battles they had got on film. He kept scanning until he came to one of his favorite shows.

"_Legends: The facts behind legendary Pokémon"_ was his favorite show for as long as he could remember. He took a sip from his soda and turned the volume up a few notches.

"_We have got a special treat for you today."_ The announcer said. _"We have what appears to be footage of one of the three legendary dog Pokémon, Suicune." _

The footage showed what appeared to be a large dog like Pokémon. It had light blue fur with a rippling mane of a darker blue. It moved remarkably fast. At times it appeared to be no more than a blue blur and they had to slow the clip down.

"_Here to tell us more about Suicune is none other than the famous Professor Oak. Professor, please come on out."_ Jake had heard about Professor Oak. He was said to be one of the best Pokémon researchers of all times. A middle aged man with lightly greying hair walked out and took a seat next to the host.

"_So, Professor, what can you tell us about Suicune?"_ the host asked.

"_Well, as we know, there are three legendary dog Pokémon: Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. Each is said to embody three of the most powerful elements: water, electricity, and fire. Suicune is sometimes called the Spirit of Water. It is said that Suicune can alter weather patterns making it rain or snow."_

"_A Pokémon that can change the weather…it must be very powerful."_

"_Indeed it is."_ Oak agreed. _"Many people have spent their lives searching for Suicune. Most of them never get the chance, while others manage to snag a glimpse of this elusive and extremely rare Pokémon."_

"_What else can you tell us?"_

"_Some researchers have discovered that Suicune can actually purify water. In fact there have been many legends dating centuries back about Suicune helping people in dire needs."_

Professor Oak went on about telling some of the legends. One was of a small town that was on the verge of ruin due to an extreme drought. A young boy from the village set out in the nearby forest searching for Suicune. The boy found it and asked Suicune to make it rain else their village perish from poor harvests. The Suicune had agreed on one condition and that was it wanted a shrine built in the forest in its honor. The village agreed and built the shrine. Suicune called forth a rainstorm using its Rain Dance saving the village.

Jake couldn't help but think about what it would be like to see a Suicune. For some reason, that name sounded familiar. At first he though how it would be amazing to capture a Pokémon that strong. Then he thought about how much a Pokémon like that didn't deserve to be caught and used for some tool in battle.

"_Are there any special abilities that Suicune has?"_ the host asked.

"_There are many."_ Oak continued. _"Some say that Suicune produces a haze or mist to shroud itself since it appears to avoid contact with humans. It appears to have psychic abilities. It is said to be able to walk and run on water without making a noise."_

"_Sounds like there is a lot to Suicune that some would expect from a typical Pokémon."_

"_As with most legendary Pokémon, it appears to think on a more highly developed intelligence than regular Pokémon. Some say that it is possible that it can even communicate on a telepathic level. It can read minds and emotions. The list could go on because there is still so much we still don't know"_

"_It seems that there is no end to some of the amazing things that these legendary Pokémon can do."_

"_Too right you are."_

"_Well, that looks like that's about all we have today, folks. Join us next time when well look deeper into the legend and mystery of Mew."_

Jake clicked the TV off. He went to the kitchen and cleaned it up from lunch before he went and checked his clothes, they were done so he moved them to the dryer. He then headed out back to check on his garden.

He had several types of fruits and vegetable growing as well as a few different types of berries. He began to pull up the weeds which he did for well over an hour. He then got a pair of trimmers and began trimming some of the plants down where they had begun to grow wildly.

While he did, a rustling in a nearby bush made him stop. He looked over to see a Furret had snuck out from under the bush. It stood on its hind legs looking up as Jake. With a smile, he plucked an oran berry from the bush and held it out to the Furret.

"Furret…Fur!" it replied happily taking the berry and scurrying off into the bushes. Jake smiled again and finished the trimming. He then grabbed the water hose and made sure everything got plenty of water. Once finished, he retreated inside to get cleaned up.

He went upstairs and grabbed some clean clothes before heading down the hall to get a shower. He scrubbed the dirt off that had clung to him as the steam swirled from the hot water. With a sigh, he rinsed off and stepped out the shower to dry off. As he did, he glanced out the window into the back yard.

His garden stretched to the edge of the forest that his house set against. Right as he was about to turn away, he spotted something just past the edge of the tree line. It looked like a trail. He got dressed and grabbed his pack

He went to the edge of the forest and began pushing aside branches. He was right. There was a trail. He had never noticed it before. He decided to walk along it for a little to see where it led.

The deeper he walked into the forest, the taller the trees got until it seemed they were trying to block out the sky. Jake pressed on until he could see a light up ahead. He pressed through the branches towards the light.

He soon stumbled into a small clearing. He looked to the left and saw Crystal Lake. From the looks of it, he was on the opposite side of where he normally stood. He looked to the right and noticed a small structure. Vines and creeper plants had grown up and wrapped around it.

Jake walked up to the structure. It was roughly the size of his garage. He spotted what looked like a plaque set into the stone along the front of the structure. Jake tried to brush away some of the vines, but they held firm. Jake's brow furrowed as he frowned.

He shrugged off his pack and tossed it aside. Then, he grabbed a small bunch of the vines and began tearing at them. They began to rip away at his relentless onslaught. Once he managed to uncover a section of the stone, he brushed the years of dirt from it. There were words etched in the stone. Jake read them as he brushed the dirt off them.

"_Here stands a shrine, built to honor the Spirit of the Lake; the one who helped us through hard times when we needed it; the great and powerful Suicune."_

Jake let out a gasp as he read. He looked up at the shrine.

"So, the legend was true." Jake said remembering the story Professor Oak spoke of on TV.

"_A small town was on the verge of ruin due to an extreme drought. A young boy from the village set out in the nearby forest searching for Suicune. The boy found it and asked Suicune to make it rain else their village perish from poor harvests. The Suicune had agreed on one condition and that was it wanted a shrine built in the forest in its honor. The village agreed and built the shrine. Suicune called forth a rainstorm using its Rain Dance saving the village."_

_Could it be?_ Jake asked himself. _The legendary Pokémon that my mom spoke of was a Suicune?_ Jake checked his watch. He still had several hours before it was to be dark, so as fast as he could, he ran home to gather a few tools from his garden shed. He ran back to the vine-entombed shrine.

He spent the next four hours removing the vines and plants from it. He cleaned it up the best he could. Once finished, he stepped back to admire his handy work.

The shrine he had uncovered was entirely made of stone. It reminded him of a small square gazebo. He was able to walk under the roof of it and stand tall without having to stoop over. In the center was a stature of what Jake guessed was Suicune. It looked so life like that Jake got a shiver as if it was watching him.

Jake walked down to the lake to get clean once again. He stripped down and jumped in. The water was rather cold for this time of year so he stayed in long enough to get clean. By the time he had gotten back to the shore, he was shivering slightly.

He got dressed quickly in order to stay warm. Jake then noticed that the sun would be setting soon. A light fog was rolling in off of the lake. Jake gathered up his things and took one last look out at the lake. He froze in his tracks.

The fog had grown thick in a certain spot about twelve yards out. In the center of the haze was a mass. Jake shook his head and looked again thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. No, they weren't. Something was defiantly on the lake and it was coming towards him.

The figure stopped just off the shore. The fog seemed to lift lightly. Jake dropped his things. Standing there on the lake in front of him was a Suicune. Jake couldn't take his eyes from it. It stared right back with sapphire like eyes. Its mane rippled but there was no breeze and the air had an icy chill to it.

The Suicune looked pat Jake at the shrine for a moment. Jake looked back at it too before looking back at the Suicune. It gazed met his once again. Jake felt an odd feeling in the back of his mind, and for an instant he felt gratitude. The Suicune bowed its head lightly before it turned to walk off. Then as quickly as it appeared, it had vanished with the fog.

Jake stood rooted where he stood. He had seen it. He had seen the Suicune. A small smile crept along his face. He felt numb and giddy. Scooping up his things, he took off in a run back to his house, laughing as he went.


	2. Ch 2: Fight for Survival

_**Chapter 2: Fight for Survival**_

About a week had passed and Jake was still on high from seeing the Suicune near the lake. To think, the legend was true. He told himself. And all I had to do was take a twenty minute stroll behind my house to find it.

Jake was sitting there enjoying his morning coffee. He checked his schedule for the day. So, I'm helping the Sholds with their daycare today. He read. This was one of his favorite jobs. All he had to do was help them take care of the Pokémon they were watching be it playing with them, cleaning them, or feeding them. It wasn't that hard of a job really. Like Mr. and Mrs. Polkins, Jake got along well with the Sholds as well.

They had a son about his age, but he was out on his Pokémon journey. Jake turned the TV on to watch the news. The week would be rather nice except for the weekend, which looked like it had a chance for rain. The next few days after would be a little cooler than normal.

The other news was rather bleak and depressing. There was a shooting at a trainer school several cities over. One student was shot, no word on their condition. They had said the school would be open the next day, but with added security.

Another school in the opposite direction had some buses vandalized by a drunk who also decided to take one of the buses for a joyride. She was apprehended when a friend called the police. She was being held on charges including D.W.I. The was also news about how possible Pokémon poachers were in the area.

"It's sad to think some people don't really give a damn what they do." Jake said to himself. Jake looked over his schedule once again. He was off for the next two days. He had to help at the lab on Friday. He wasn't looking forward to this since he and Lily had their argument that last time he went.

"Well, maybe everything well be fine. Then again, Lily can hold a grudge" He finished with a sigh.

He drank the last of the coffee in his mug and went upstairs to get ready for work. He loved this job. In fact, both Mr. and Mrs. Sholds said that he had great skills for being a Pokémon breeder if he wanted. Jake had considered it a few times. After that he went downstairs to throw together a quick breakfast to go. Then he walked out into the fresh morning air, locking his door behind him.

It was starting to get daylight. Jake's watch read 7:15. He took a deep breath and made his way to the east side of town. That was where Sholds Daycare and Breeding Center was located. They did several things for Pokémon brought to them including grooming and exercise.

Jake noticed he was in a somewhat better mood than normal. Was it still that after effect of seeing that Suicune the other day? Whatever it was, Jake didn't care; he felt good. Today was going to be a good day.

About ten minutes later, the daycare came into view. Mrs. Sholds was out front tending to her roses. She smiled softly as he walked up.

"Good morning, Jake." She said.

"Morning Mrs. Sholds. How are you today?" he replied.

"I'm doing good, and you?"

"Pretty good."

"Well, that's nice. I think Gerald maybe around back. Why don't you go see if he needs help."

"Yes Ma'am." He replied.

He went around the side of the house and went through the side gate. Almost instantly he was knocked to the ground by several Pokémon. There were a couple of Zigzagoon and a Linoone. There were also several Poochyena and a Mightyena. There was a Vulpix, an Eevee, a Flareon and a Houndour as well.

"Alright, everyone calm down and let me get up." Jake said underneath the pile of confusion. A few feet away, Mr. Sholds stood there laughing, his trusted Growlithe sitting at his feet watching the commotion.

After a minute Jake managed to stand before the mob of Pokémon could pin him down again. They danced happily around him as he slowly made his way over to Gerald. Jake extended his hand and shook it with Mr. Sholds.

"Good morning, Sir." Jake said.

"Mornin' Jake." the old man replied. "Looks like you are gonna have your hands full today."

"Nah…they won't be too much to handle." Jake replied with a laugh. Mr. Sholds nodded before making his way inside with his Growlithe at his heels. Jake turned to face the happy group of Pokémon that he was left in charge of.

"What do you guys want to do today?" he asked. They are replied with some sort of bark-like noise before running off. Jake shook his head and turned around while they went to hide. After a minute he turned and set out to find them.

This took longer than he thought but in the end he managed to find all twelve of them. After that, Jake sat against a tree and watched the Pokémon play for a little while.

The Mightyena, Linoone, and Houndour sat off to the side to watch the Zigzagoon and Poochyena wrestle with each other. Eevee and Flareon lay together soaking up the warm sun. Jake looked around and didn't see Vulpix.

She must have gone inside. Jake thought. Sure enough, Vulpix came out from the door, her brush in her mouth. She came over to Jake and dropped the brush by his hand before curling up in his lap. Jake just smiled as he picked it up and began to brush the fox-like Pokémon.

This went on for about a half hour before the tired Pokémon made their way inside for a bit of rest. By now Jake was sure Vulpix was dozing peacefully in his lap and he tried his best not to move around a lot. Just then, the Mightyena and Houndour padded over.

Mightyena dropped a red ball next to him and barked happily. Jake scooped up the ball and threw it as hard as he could, being careful not to wake Vulpix. Both Mightyena and Houndour chased after the ball trying to beat the other to it.

When one would catch it, they would bring the ball back and wait for Jake to throw it again. Jake continued to throw the ball for an hour until both he and the two Pokémon were tired. They stumbled their inside, panting as they went. Jake smiled then looked down at the sleeping Vulpix in his lap.

He rested his head back against the tree and closed his eyes…thinking about when he had seen Suicune. Ever since he had seen it, he had gone back hoping to see it again. But he never did. He would often go to the shrine and leave offerings of fruits and whatnot from his garden, not sure if Suicune would eat them. But every morning that he went back, they were gone.

For the past three or four nights, he had been having odd dreams. They were the same except the next one would continue for a few minutes past where the previous night left off.

_He had walked to the Shrine of Suicune and sat on the stone steps to it. He would sit there hoping to see Suicune one last time. The first dream ended with him looking out over the lake at an odd bit of mist that was taking shape. The next night continued to reveal the mist to be Suicune. The night after that, The Suicune had started to walk towards him. The last night ended with Suicune walking past him to a covered trail leading deep in the woods. It stopped to look back at him with sparkling blue eyes. Then a lone word rang out in his mind. "Come…"_

Jake opened his eyes to find himself sitting back at the daycare, leaning against the tree with Vulpix sleeping in his lap. He had been thinking about the dreams again. When he had the one where Suicune actually spoke to him, he woke up shaking and it took every list fiber in his being to keep himself to go running through the forest to find her.

Why am I having these dreams about her? He asked himself. He came to the conclusion that Suicune was female based on his last dream when she talked to him. _"Come…"_ Her voice was so soft and gentle, like warm water flowing peacefully in a stream. No male could have a voice like that. He shivered as the word replied in his mind. _"Come…"_

"Not day dreaming there are you?" a voice called out. Jake jumped slightly and looked up. Mr. Sholds was standing at the back door looking at him. Jake shook his head. "Just checking…why don't you come in for a bit, it's getting close to lunch."

Jake looked down at Vulpix. She was awake now; his sudden movements had woken her up. She looked up at him with be green eyes before stretching with a stifled "Vuuuulllpix."

She jumped from his lap and made her way inside. Everyone else was inside eating. Jake pulled up a chair at the table and Mrs. Sholds set a plate of food in front of him.

"Thank you." He said calmly before picking up his fork.

"Vulpix has seemed to have taken a shine to you." Mr. Sholds said. "I have never seen her act like that around the other helpers." Jake didn't answer. He just sat there aimlessly pushing his food around his plate.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Mrs. Sholds asked.

"Yes, you have been rather quiet today." Mr. Sholds added.

"Hmm…yea, I'm fine." Jake said. "I'm just had something on my mind."

"What?" Mrs. Sholds asked.

"Nothing really…just something silly." He replied. He stayed quiet for a few minutes before asking. "Do you guys believe in legends?"

"Why the sudden interest?" Mr. Sholds asked.

"Well, I had seen something on TV the other day talking about some old Suicune legend."

"Ahh…well, I do recall hearing an old legend referring to a Suicune saving a village from what would surely be their downfall." Mr. Sholds said.

"The one where the child asked Suicune to save their village from a drought?" Mrs. Sholds asked. Her husband nodded.

"That's the one they were talking about." Jake said. "About how they had built a shine to honor Suicune for saving them." Mr. Sholds nodded again.

"I'm sure they didn't give the whole story." He said.

"Do you know the whole story?" Jake asked.

"I sure do..." The old man replied.

"Could you tell me, please?" Jake asked.

"I don't see why not." He smiled.

_It all started many, many years ago in a small place called Crystal Village. It was a beautiful little place with a pristine lake nearby. The villagers relied on farming mainly to provide for themselves. But all the farming over the years began to take its toll on the land, producing fewer crops each year._

_The soil had become parched and dry and few crops could grow. The ones that manage to sprout produced little. The villagers began to irrigate the water from the lake to water their crops…but soon, the lake began to dry up as well._

_With a major drought on the way, the village would not survive. A youth from the village had heard tales of a powerful Pokémon in the nearby forest that could help. So, the boy, only ten years old, set out on his own into the dark deep forest._

_For two days, the boy searched, but found nothing. With no food, the boy collapsed from hunger. He awoke to find a Pokémon standing over him. It was Suicune. She stood over the youth, looking down at him, and the boy was scared._

_"Do not cry…little one." She said softly. "I do not wish to harm you. I do however wish to know why you are so far out on your own?" They youth began to tell Suicune of how his village was dying and that there had been no rain. He began to cry and plea for her help._

_Suicune was humbled by the youth and agreed to help but only if the village would take care of the lake and keep it healthy so she could live there. She then took the boy on her back and raced him back to the village where the townspeople had begun to think the boy had perished._

_Upon seeing him return with Suicune, they all fell to their knees and wept. The boy told them of the deal they could make with Suicune and in return, she would help their village. The villagers agreed and Suicune soon departed._

_She raced into the nearby mountains where she climbed to the tallest peak. Using Rain Dance, she was able to make it rain, and rain it did. It rained so much, that the lake refilled and the ground was no longer parched or dry._

_The villagers were so happy, that they had built a shine to honor Suicune and her actions for saving the village. They built it near the lake where it is said she remained to watch over the village._

The old man finished with a sigh. Jake had been hanging on to every word.

"What happened to the village?" he asked.

"Some say they changed the name to Mistfall City. Some say the village was lost to time and Mistfall was built in its place." Jake sat deep in thought for several minutes.

"Do you believe in the legend?" he asked the old man. He just smiled.

"I believe that anything is possible."

Later that night, Jake was lying in bed. He was tired from working that day and had decided to turn in early. Almost as soon as he rested his head on his pillow, he was asleep. Almost instantly, he had begun to slip into his dreams.

_He had walked to the Shrine of Suicune and sat on the stone steps to it. He would sit there hoping to see Suicune one last time. Like before, he looked out over the lake at an odd bit of mist that was taking shape._

_The mist became Suicune. Suicune had started to walk towards him. She walked past him to a covered trail leading deep in the woods. She stopped to look back at him with sparkling blue eyes._

_Then a lone word rang out in his mind._

_"Come…"_

_Before he could respond, she turned and walked off into the forest._

_"Wait…don't leave!" he called out._

_"Come…"_

_"Hold on, I wa…"_

_"Come…"_

_"But…"_

_"COME…"_

Jake woke up shaking and sweating. He was breathing heavily. He got up and rushed to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. He shivered as it ran down his back. He glanced out the window at the trail. Something just didn't feel right.

Cursing himself, Jake ran back to his room and quickly got dressed. He pulled on his shoes and his jacket and made his way out back. The moon was high and full. He made his way to the entrance of the trail. Looking down, he saw two sets of tracks…they looked like bikes, maybe dirt bikes.

A cold pit formed in his stomach and Jake took off in a full run blindly down the trail. His breath became louder and it soon hurt to breathe, but he didn't stop. A chill had begun to set in the air and soon he could see his breath.

As he neared the clearing which held the shrine, Jake stopped dead in his tracks. There were two men with motorbikes. They both had rifles in their hands. Jake looked to see what they were starting at. He followed their gaze and almost collapsed.

There, crouched in the pale light of their headlights was Suicune. Jake froze. Something wasn't right. Why didn't she run off? Something glistened in the light and caught Jake's attention. There were two darts stuck in her side. Her breathing was labored and it looked like she was struggling to stand.

"Should I hit her with another one?" one of the men asked the other.

"No, we need her alive." The other replied. The two men laughed as Suicune growled at them.

"You can't do anything to us." The man on the left chuckled.

"Yea and you ain't going anywhere either thanks to those sedatives we shot you with." The second added. The two men laughed again.

"So, how much do you think she is worth?" the first asked.

"I don't know," the second replied. "But I bet Team Rocket will pay a pretty penny for her."

Jake felt his rage rising. These were the two Pokémon poachers he had heard about. And from the looks of it, they were planning on taking Suicune and selling her to make a profit. Jake's fists clenched and started to tremble. He knew he had to do something.

Without thinking about the consequences, Jake rushed from hiding and with a yell, struck the first man win the side of his face. He stumbled and fell into his partner, sending them both to the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" the first man hollered. "What the hell was that?"

They both got up, one clutching his face where he had been struck. They turned to see a boy standing between them and Suicune, his fists raised.

"Who the hell are you?" the second man asked. Jake tightened his fists.

"You're not taking her anywhere." He said in sinister voice. The two men looked stunned at the boy before them.

Suicune looked up at the shadow in front of her. Her body trembled as she moved. There was a boy in front of her. _It's him._ She thought. The look on his face was somewhat terrifying. Suicune felt her insides grow cold. This boy was going to protect her, even if it would cost him his life.

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but you sure as hell ain't gonna stop us from taking what belongs to us." One of the men said.

"You'll get her over my dead body." The boy said. The men laughed.

"That can be arranged." One said as they threw their dart guns aside and drew pistols.

Jake knew that this might be the end, but he didn't care. He began to feel odd, like his body was electrified. The two men looked somewhat frightened.

"What the fuck…?" one stated. A growl tore from Jake's mouth as he rushed towards them. Something was odd. The two seemed to be moving slower than before. The men raised their guns and opened fired. Jake didn't stop, even when one of the bullets hit him in the chest.

He grabbed the first man by the arm, twisting until it snapped. The man fell to the ground screaming. The second man turned to shoot him, but Jake rushed forward and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him effortlessly into the air before slamming him on his back.

The two men stared, wide eyed with fear as Jake slowly approached them, his eyes glowing a deep bluish-purple.

"Oh, fuck this!" one of the men shouted rushing to his bike. The other man followed suit and they both raced off into the night casting horror stricken looks back as they did.

Jake stood there breathing heavily, watching the two men flee. He thought about chasing them but before he could move, a burning in his chest stopped him cold. He looked down to see a wet stain on his shirt. Touching it gingerly, he cried out in pain.

Jake's vision became fuzzy as he dropped to his knees, wheezing for air. He tried to stand back up but stumbled and fell to all fours. He coughed, which made his lungs feel like fire and he spit up blood.

Suicune watched as the boy collapsed, seriously injured. She turned her head and pulled the darts from her side with her mouth. She dropped them on the ground and tried to stand, but her weak and shaky legs refused to support her weight. She began to crawl and drag herself to the boy who was now lying face down on the cold ground, a pool of blood slowly forming around him.

She made her way next to him. Her eyes met his though they seemed to look past her as if they couldn't focus. She inched closer to him stopping when her paw met his blood. She watched as the red slowly dripped from her overturned paw. She knew he was going to die if she didn't do something.

Jake looked at Suicune, his breath now ragged. He knew she was safe. He had done his job and he didn't care that he was going to die. His vision began to fade and contract, almost like he was being pulled away from the world down a dark tunnel. The last thing he remembered seeing was Suicune staring at him, her eyes glowing. He then closed his eyes, and with a smile of contempt on his face, whispered a light breath before becoming rigid and still.


	3. Ch 3: Awakening and Discovery

_**Chapter 3: Awakening and Discovery**_

_Jake felt oddly detached from his body in fact, it was almost like he was looking down at his body. He didn't feel any pain and was rather quite happy._

_ "Am I dead?" He thought. "Is this what it feels like to pass on?"_

_ "No…" a soft voice replied. "You are not dead." The voice sounded familiar. Almost like he had heard it before._

_"Suicune?"_ _he asked slowly._

_ "Yes." She replied._

_ "Where am I? How come I can see myself and I don't feel any pain?"_

_ "Slowly…One question at a time young one."_

_ "Sorry…so I'm not dead?"_

_ "No, I have pulled your being from your body into mine in order to keep you from slipping away while I heal you."_

_ "Why? Why would you do this?"_

_ "I can ask you the same question."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "Why would you give your life in order to save mine?"_

_ "I don't know…I just sorta acted without really thinking what the outcome may be. I didn't care as long as you were safe." Suicune remained silent._

_ "I was willing to die to save you…why are you saving me?" Jake asked._

_ "Why do you ask? Do you not find your life worth living?" This time, Jake remained silent. "You saved my life, now I am saving yours…that is all there is to it." Jake felt as if she was hiding something from him._

_ "But…" he started._

_ "Please…rest." Suicune insisted. "I need to focus in order to do this correctly."_

_ "Th-thank you." Jake said quietly. It felt as if she was pulling from his mind._

_ "No…thank you." She replied. _

_ Suddenly, everything began to fade away. Soon, there was nothing…no light, no darkness…just nothing._

Jake felt warm, like he was wrapped in a blanket. He remembered feeling warmth on his face. He cracked his eyes open to find himself staring into a bright light. He sat up suddenly. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He found himself sitting in his bed.

His hands shot to his face as they felt to see if he was there. His eyes flew down as he ripped off his shirt. His finger traced the area he had been shot the night before. No trace remained of the wound.

_Was it all a dream?_ Jake thought. _No, that was too real to be a dream. But how the hell did I wind up here?_ He slowly got out of bed and stood up carefully. His head spun slightly and spots danced across his vision. He felt dizzy and caught himself on his bedside table to keep himself from falling to the floor.

He took a few deep breaths before standing upright. Again the wave of dizziness hit him again. For a moment, Jake thought he was going to be sick so he hurried to the bathroom as fast as he could. He stumbled and fell to his knees as he hung his head over the toilet.

Jake closed his eyes and slowed his breathing down. He sat there for several minutes until the churning in his stomach stopped. Slowly, he got to his feet and instead of trying to walk…he just stood there. Finally, after several minutes, the sensation passed.

Jake splashed some water on his face before getting dressed and making his way downstairs. He clicked on the radio and got started with making breakfast. A few minutes later, a special report caught his attention.

_"We have breaking news coming out of Mistfall City. Two notorious Pokémon poachers have been apprehended. They have been charged with over three hundred counts of illegal poaching and Pokémon theft. They are also believed to have had ties with Team Rocket. We go now to the arresting officer for her report."_

_ "Shortly after 2:15 a.m. this morning, two armed Pokémon poachers were apprehended just outside the small quiet town of Mistfall City. It is believed they were in the area searching for rare Pokémon and were planning on selling them to Team Rocket. The two men claimed to have been attacked by a young gentleman while they were camping out in the forest."_

Jake ground his teeth furiously upon hearing that. He continued to listen.

_"All we can say is to whomever this young man may be, we thank you for helping up bring down these two Pokémon Thieves."_

_ "Wow…talk about some good news."_ The radio host said. _"It's nice to know there are people out in this rough world we live in who are willing to risk anything to do what is right. Well, if the brave gentleman is listening out there, everyone here at the PKMN Station say "thanks."_

Jake clicked off the radio with a smile and went back to making his breakfast. He took his time eating because he knew he would have the day off. Once finished he started washing the dishes while pondering about what he was going to do that day.

_Maybe I'll go to Suicune's shrine. I wonder if I can find her._ He thought. Once the kitchen was clean, he went upstairs to get his pack ready for his hike. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a thick shirt. Then he slipped his sketchbook into his pack with a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. He was bringing the extra clothes just in case the weather turned out better than he thought.

He also packed his camping medical kit. He always took it is he was expecting to go on a long hike. He packed a few other items he knew he might need before slipping on his hiking boots and heading out back. From his shed, he grabbed his machete which he hung from his waits in its sheath. He also grabbed his hatchet. He knew that if he was going to cook or make a fire, he would need something to cut firewood. He slipped the ax through a loop on his pack before turning to face the trail that led deep into the woods.

With a sigh, he set out into the forest. He knew the trail well and now was able to follow it in the faint light that reached through the trees. It wasn't long before the shrine came into view. His mind flashed back to the night before. His fists tightened and he quickly pushed the thought from his mind before he got mad. Today was a good day and nothing was going to ruin it.

He scanned around until his eyes stopped on a hidden trail that was behind the shrine. His dream of Suicune entered his head and he remembered how she had started to led him down the trail. _"Come…"_

_Does she want me to find her?_ He thought. He decided to go with that notion and pressed on down the trail. The vines and other plants grew in a tunnel like structure. Jake stumbled down the trail as he tried to watch his footing. Here and there, roots would poke up in little arches as if they were waiting to snag a passerby's foot.

The trail twisted and turned for what felt like hours. Jake could hear the dull roar of swift moving water from up ahead. He quickened his pace as he moved towards. As he ran, a branch swiped him on the neck, causing a thin line of blood to form. The quick stinging sensation caught him off guard and he lost he balance and fell forward.

As he fell he rolled to soften the blow. He suddenly felt pain lace up his leg. As he rolled the pain spread from the base of his right ankle and traveled all the way to the front of his left shoulder. Jake looked down to see a thick vine covered with sharp thorns wrapping its way up his body.

"Gah…son of a bitch!" he said through his bared teeth. Each thorn felt as if it was on fire. Without even thinking, Jake grabbed the end of the vine at his shoulder and ripped it away. A yell of pain escaped him as he managed to remove half of it. With another shout and a quick jerk, he removed the rest of the vine.

Removing his shirt, he saw a trail of small puncture wounds traveling across his torso down to his waist. He knew that it was worse than it looked. Some of the thorns had broken off and were embedded within his skin. Jake knew he had to do something about it fast…but he would feel better if he had a shelter of some sort to work in so his tugged his shirt back on with a wince and pressed on.

He was hoping there would be a cave of some sort up ahead. He would use that for shelter if he had to. With the hopes of finding one up the river, he pressed on until he stumbled into a clearing. Just to his right, the river flowed swiftly past him. The trail continued to a large log that spanned the river.

Something deep in Jake's mind wanted him to press on. He was apprehensive though. He could swim, but the swirling and churning water seemed foreboding. He stood there with an internal conflict taking place in his mind. Should he press on or should he turn back? _Fuck it._ Jake said with a shrug.

The log was slippery so, rather than walking across hit, he would crawl. Jake slowly inched his way. He tried to ignore the torrent below him but he could not entirely block out its roar. _Come on, Jake…you can do this._ He urged himself. _After all, you did take on two armed man last night…this is nothing compared to that._

With his newfound courage, he quickened his pace. He just made it over the halfway point when his hand slipped. Jake found himself heading face first towards the water. Instinctively, he reached out and made a last ditch grab for the log. His fingers dug into the soft moist wood. With a jerk, he stopped falling.

He took a moment to catch his breath. His hand hurt and it felt as if one of his fingers broke from where it was locked in place. He tried to pull himself up and gain leverage with his legs, but the log was too slippery. So, he tried to pull himself up with he left arm. Pain shot up from his hand and combine itself with the pain the thorns had caused moment before.

The shock proved to be too much and Jake lost his grip. Everything seemed to slow as he fell towards the water. With a solid smack, he landed back-first before being swept off in the current. Jake struggled to remain above water, but the churning around him made it difficult. Pain burst throughout him as he felt himself slamming into rocks hidden in the rapids. He didn't know how far the river would go, or even where it went, but Jake knew he had to get out, and fast.

The cold water slowed his body's actions. A sudden current pulled him under the water. Looking up, all he could see was light filtering through the swirling bubbles above. He hit the bottom of the riverbed and was drug across it for several feet before he managed to kick himself off towards the surface.

He head broke the surface, and he gasped for air. But before he could fill his lungs, he was pulled under. Again, he kicked up and before he managed to get any more than a "sip" of air, he was tugged back under by the undertow. Lights began to swirl in front of his eyes and his lungs began to burn from the lack of oxygen.

Jake remembered something he had heard before. If caught in a swift current, you should relax and not fight it. If you do, you will only wear yourself out and most likely lead yourself to a water death. Jake focused on relaxing. He felt himself getting closer to the surface. But with his lungs begging for air, he found himself struggling to try to reach the surface faster.

Finally, his head hit open air and he took in as much air as he could. Looking up, he could see a hanging log rapidly approaching. If he could grab it, he might be able to pull himself out. He waited for the right time, and then reached up right as the log passed.

He made contact and quick managed to wrap an arm around it. Jake gasped for air as he held on for dear life. He could feel his battered and bruised body wanting to give in and be swept away, but he refused to be. With all his might, Jake managed to get both arms wrapped around the log.

The log was weak however and begun to sag and bend under his weight. Jake knew that is he didn't get to shore fast, the log would snap and he would surely drown. He began to pull himself along the log as quick as he dared. The log sagged even more. Some of the soaked wood began to give way. Jake began to hurry now. He was only a few feet from the shore. He reached out with a hand and managed to grab hold of a rock.

Unfortunately, the rock was loose and gave way from under his grip and with his rapidly shifted weight, the log buckled and snapped. _This is it._ Jake thought. _I am really gonna die this time and Suicune isn't around to save me._

"_Don't be so quick to doubt me."_ A voice rang out in his mind. He came to a sudden stop. Looking up, he was shocked to see Suicune. She had grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar. _"Gottcha." _

She pulled Jake up onto the shore. He lay on his side, trembling from both cold and exhaustion. He looked up at Suicune, only to find her face right in front of his.

"_How many times must I save you I one week?"_ she asked. Jake just sagged back to the ground too weak to answer. Suicune shook her head. _"Come on. We need to get you someplace warm." _ She said lying next to him. Jake used what little strength he had to pull himself onto her back. He lay there, weak and tired.

She got up slowly and began to head down the trail. She soon gathered speed and was traveling at a breakneck pace. Jake was surprised by how smooth the ride was. All he felt was a gentle swaying motion. That combined with the softness of her silky fur and his exhaustion lulled him into an almost hypnotic sleep.

Suicune was amazed by how far he had gotten on his own. Not very many did try to take that trail and the few who did were amongst some of the best outdoorsmen. This boy was something else. She glanced back to see Jake resting, his hands holding on out of instinct.

With a sigh, she turned off the trail and deeper into the forest. With extreme reflexes, she nimbly jumped over fallen trees and around sparse pools of water. She continued until a small cave entrance came into view. It was so well concealed, that if she wasn't openly looking for it, she might have missed it.

She slid to a stop outside the cave. She laid down and gently shifted Jake off of her before she checked the cave to see if it was safe. Once it was, she carefully pulled him inside. She looked around the bare cave and knew that if they were going to stay there for any amount of time, they would need someplace soft to be so she set out on the task of getting leaves and soft mosses into a large flat pile.

It didn't take her very long and after a few minutes, she had gathered a considerable amount. Jake shifted with a moan and slowly opened his eye. Suicune padded over to him.

"_How do you feel?" she asked._ Jake sat up with extreme slowness, groaning with pain as he did.

"Like I went twelve rounds with a Hitmonchan." He said with a weak laugh. He looked around the cave.

"_I found it thinking you may need to stay here and recover."_ She said. Jake somehow managed to get to his feet. Suicune was surprised that he managed to even sit up let alone stand. _"You know, you should get out of those soaked clothes as soon as possible. You'll get sick if you stay in them for too much longer."_

"I know." Jake said. "There is something I need to do before I do." He stumbled as he made his way to the mouth of the cave.

"_Where are you going?"_ Suicune asked.

"To get firewood…I need a fire if I want to get dry quicker."

He staggered out of the cave and Suicune followed him, worried that he might faint from exhaustion. Jake, however, proved her wrong and managed to get a nice amount of wood before returning to the cave. He had brought a piece of flint stone with him to help with starting fires. Striking the rock with the back of his hatchet, Jake managed to send a cascade of sparks onto the wood. After a few more tries he managed to get a nice fire going.

Jake then stripped of his shirt and jeans and tossed them aside. He then sat down close to the fire to get dry. Suicune lay a few feet away on the makeshift bed of leaves, watching him the whole time. She found herself looking him over. There were several cuts and bruises covering him. Aside from that however, he was remarkable fit.

His toned body showed signed that he got a good work out regularly and the tan os his skin showed that he enjoyed being outdoors.

She watched him as he gazed into the fire, apparently deep in thought. He was cast into a warm glow of light and the shadows danced across his face giving him exotic features. Suicune felt an odd and sudden feeling of fondness of Jake. She had to admit, even though he was human, he wasn't that bad looking…if you look past the injuries.

She looked off towards the cave entrance when he looked at her. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she blushed and she quickly hastened to get her mind in a different thinking state. She looked back at him and scanned his injuries. Some of them were rather severe and though he didn't show it, she could sense that he was in a lot of pain.

_"Just look at yourself."_ She said. _"You're like a young pup that has to go sticking his nose into everything only to get into trouble."_ Jake looked down. _"I'm sorry."_ She quickly added. _"I didn't mean to offend you."_

"No, you're right." Jake admitted as he looked over his injuries. "I do seem to always find myself getting into some fore of trouble."

_"Well, I may be able to help you."_ She said. _"Come lay over here."_ Jake sat there for a minute before staggering to his feet and shuffling to the bed of leaves. He laid on his back looking up. Suicune swung her head over and looked down at him.

_"Okay, this may feel very weird."_ She said in a calm voice. Jake looked a bit worried as he could only imagine as to what she was going to do. Her eyes began to glow a deep blue. He remembered seeing them do that when she was healing him then night before.

His whole body went rigid as it felt as if electricity coursed through him. His skin began to prickle on crawl and his injuries began to heal. His fought the urge to move not only to ride himself of the sensation, but to also move from her piercing glare. He quivered lightly as the thorns stuck in his skin began to work themselves out. After what seemed like an eternity. The sensation stopped and Suicune's eyes returned to normal.

With a sigh, she felt her head droop slightly. The energy needed to heal him was more than she thought due to the broken finger and rib he had. Her eyes got heavy for a moment as a wave of weakness washed over her.

Jake sat up and looked over himself. He seemed surprised that she managed to heal all of it.

"Thank you." He said looking at her with a smile. She nodded in return. Jake could sense that she was tired. "Is something wrong." He asked worried.

_"No."_ she replied with a tired expression. _"It just takes a lot of energy to do something like that." _ Jake felt ashamed that he was the reason she was like this because he wasn't as careful as he should have been. She sensed his regret and quickly spoke out. _"Don't feel bad about what happened. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen."_

She felt his gratitude for her radiate from him as he looked up at her and smiled. They both turned and looked into the fire for a few minutes. Jake yawned when he realized how tired he was and only then did Suicune realize how tired she was.

Jake laid out on the leaves on his side as he faced the fire. Suicune watched him lay there for a few minutes before he shivered. She then rolled on her side and with her paw, pulled Jake closer to her. Jake was somewhat shocked as she held him against her body. He then realized that she was only trying to keep him warm so rather than struggle against her, he just accepted what she had done.

He snuggled against her soft warm chest as she held him close. For some reason, this made her smile and she nuzzled him gently on the cheek. It wasn't long before their tiredness got the best of them and soon, they were both sound asleep.

_**Next Chapter: Confusing Feelings; Unexpected Attractions...** I am going to start putting the name of the next chapter at the end of the previous in order to give you and idea of what may be to come. I kinda like to keep my readers guessing. This way if you know, you may be inclined to guess what's going to happen next...kinda suspenseful. _


	4. Ch 4: Confusing Feelings, Unexpected

_**Chapter 4: Confusing Feelings; Unexpected Attractions**_

_Suicune was running. She didn't really know why, just that she needed to find something, something before it was too late. She ran nimbly between the trees and over the water. Deep inside her, it felt as if something was missing. Like a part of her was cut out. She knew she had to find that something. Else she'd be forever running, forever alone._

_ She cried out but no one answered. She ran and ran until she could run no more; searching but finding nothing. Her heart ached. She ran to the deepest and darkest part of the forest. She laid down and wept. No one cared for her…no one believed in her. All she wanted to do was shut out the rest of the world and cry. Cry until she could cry no more and then keep crying._

_ She was alone, cold and alone. Then suddenly, something touched her gently on the paw. She looked up to see a shadowy silhouette. The figure slowly lifted its hand to her cheek and touched her with warmth and affection like she never knew. Then, the hand wiped the tears from her eyes. _

_ She suddenly found herself face to face with Jake. He held his hand on her check, stoking its soft fur. She looked into his eyes and he gazed back with eyes full of warmth and love. She knew that she had finally found what she was looking for; that she would never be lonely again. She was blinded by her sadness and tears to see that what she had been searching for was standing right in front of her the whole time._

_ "I am here…" he said. "I will always be here."_

Suicune woke to find her cheeks wet. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her paw and looked around. The once blazing fire was now warm embers. She looked at the mouth of the cave. Judging by the light it was well into the afternoon. A slight movement next to her made her look down. Jake was still asleep.

He moaned softly in his sleep and rolled over. A few minutes later, he rolled over again…and then again. He moaned again before rolling over again. He appeared to be in discomfort. Though he wasn't in pain, something was clearly bothering him. Suicune had an idea. She knew she shouldn't do it, it wasn't right, but she had to find out what was bothering him and maybe even find out a little more about him.

She normally didn't do this. To invade someone else's thought seemed to be wrong. Someone's mind what their final sanctum, a place where they could hide their thought, emotions, and memories from the rest of the world. To pry into this personal information didn't feel right. But she needed to know what was wrong. Slowly, she extended her mind towards his.

_Jake was standing on a lone cliff that overlooked the valley that he lived in. The sun was starting to set. Jake ran here after he got a call from his father. His father called and said that he was not coming back. His father had said something about meeting someone and wanted to start over again…Jake didn't fully understand what he meant. He stood there, racked by his thoughts and emotions. Why did all this happen to him? What did he do to deserve this?_

_"Why am I even here?" he asked himself. "Why? Would anyone really care if I were to just jump off this cliff right now?"_

_"I would." Soft voice said behind him. He spun around to see Suicune standing there. Her fur seemed to glisten and sparkle in the fading light of the setting sun._

_ "Suicune?" he asked softly. She nodded. She stepped slowly towards him._

_ "What's wrong?" she asked. Jake turned away and said nothing. "Jake?" she said, nudging him gently on the shoulder with her nose. "What's wrong?"_

_ "Nothing is wrong." He said turning and storming past her only to stop a few feet. She realized this was going to be a bit harder than she thought. She walked until she was until was in front of him. She started at him with her piercing blue eyes. He trying to turn away but before he could she pinned him to the ground and started down at him. As much as he tried, he could not avoid her gaze._

_ "Now, what is bothering you? I can sense it." Jake remained quiet but when he realized that she wasn't letting up anytime soon, he gave in._

_ "I've just had a lot on my mind." He finally said._

_ "What?"_

_ "Things about my past, things I wish I could forget."_

_ "What happened?"_

_ "Please, I don't want to have to relive it. I've tried so hard to ignore it…"_

_ "And a lot of good it's doing you…I mean, it's not good to keep everything bottled in."_

_ "It's just that I'm tired of all this, tired of having to deal with these things alone."_

_ "But you're not alone." She stood up and walked to the cliff. She looked out over the valley. Jake realized what she meant. He got up and stood by her and watched the sun finally sink below the horizon. He turned to her._

_ "I understand now." He said. She looked at him. "I am not alone…because I have you." He wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug. She smiled happily and nuzzled his neck._

_ "And you will." She replied. "Always."_

Jake slowly opened his eyes. He found himself face to face with Suicune. He head was resting next to his. She opened her eyes and looked into his. He smiled and gave her a little hug. She hummed happily and snuggled closer to him. They remained like that for several minutes before Jake got up shivering. He was still undressed.

His clothes he was wearing earlier were still wet. He the remembered he has a change of clothes in his pack. He quickly got dressed trying to get as warm as possible. Even though it was just a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, it was a lot better than just wearing a pair of boxers. He then grabbed his hatchet.

"I'm going to get some more wood." Jake said looking at her.

_"Do you want me to join you?"_ she asked. Jake shook his head.

"I won't be gone long." And with that he turned and headed out the cave.

Suicune lay there thinking about the dream she had of Jake. For some reason, thinking about it made her feel warm inside. She was confused. It had been so long since she had had feelings for another, and they were never for a human.

_I don't understand._ She thought. _Why do I feel this way towards a human?_ She looked through the bits of memories she managed to get from Jake. He had had a rough life…a lot like her. He had lost his mother and his father left to start a new life. No one really seemed to pay any attention to him save for a few.

_A lot like me._ She thought. Her father had died. Actually, he was killed by poachers. Her mother had left, chasing after one meaningless relationship to another. No one seemed to believe in her anymore. In fact…the only few who really understood her were her two brothers; Raikou and Entei…and she only seen them once in a blue moon.

_It's almost like I can relate to him. Maybe that's why I have feelings for him._ She remained there deep in thought as she stared deep into the smoldering embers of the fire. She didn't know how long she sat there. A loud clatter made her jump. She looked up to see Jake dumping a large armful of firewood.

"Sorry." Jake said when he noticed her jump. He turned to leave to gather the rest he had cut but something stopped him…and odd feeling inside of him. He turned to Suicune. "I could use a little company, would you like to join me?"

She smiled as she felt her insides grow warm and she struggled to keep from blushing. She got to her feet and stretched her still sleeping legs before she followed him outside. They walked down the trail a few feet to find the rest of the wood Jake cut. He scooped it up into his arms and they both made their way back to the cave where Jake dropped off the wood.

_"What now?"_ Suicune asked. Jake added some wood to the fire and tried to get it going again.

"First, I am going to get this fire started back up, then I was going to get use something to eat."

Suicune sat back and watched as Jake hovered around the fire's remains. A few minutes late there was a crackling fire once again. Jake then went to his pack and rummaged through it. He pulled out a large hunting knife and strapped it to his leg. He then slung his pack over his shoulder.

"Do you want to come?" he asked turning to Suicune.

_"If you don't mind."_ She replied.

"Not at all."

Jake led the way as the headed out of the cave and into the forest. As they walked, Jake stopped every once in a while and plucked some wild herbs he came across.

"So, was there anything you wanted to eat in particular?" he asked after a few minutes.

_"I'm not real picky." _She replied. _"Why do you ask?"_

"Because I had an idea of what I was going to do for supper. "

_"What did you have in mind?"_

"I was thinking about fish, possibly."

_"I haven't had fish in a really long time. I wouldn't mind it for dinner."_

Jake continued down the trail, picking herbs and berries along the way. He tucked them into a pocket on the side of his pack. After a while, he came across an apple tree. This gave him another idea of what they could have that night. He removed his pack and walked up to the tree.

_"What are you doing?"_ Suicune asked. Jake just smiled.

"You'll see." He slipped off his shoes and socks before jumping up and grabbing an overhead limb. Pulling himself up, Jake reached up and grabbed another limb, pulling himself even higher.

_"Be careful!" _Suicune called out. _"I just healed you and I don't what to have to do it again."_

Jake climbed to the top of the tree and looked for some of the best apples he could find. He found a branch full of large red looking apples. He picked one and took a bite. It was sweet and delicious…the kind that were perfect for baking in a pie. He grabbed the one he had picked in his mouth and reached for another.

"Look out below!" he mumbled past the apple clenched in his teeth. He dropped the apple to the ground were it tumbled a few feet away. Suicune grabbed the apple in her mouth…its sweet juices excited her taste buds. That combined with the fact that she had not eaten lunch reminded her how hungry she was. In two bites, she devoured the apple. Licking her chops, she looked up.

"_That was delicious, how many more can you get?" _she asked hungrily.

"Enough." He replied with a chuckle. Jake managed to pick eight more apples, half of which were immediately eaten by Suicune. Jake climbed from the tree and gathered the remaining four apples before she managed to eat them all. He finished the apple he had and slipped his shoes back on before they continued on their way.

It wasn't long before they had arrived at the river. They were at a shallow bend. Jake removed his pack and walked out until the water was mid-thigh. He slowly lowered his hands into the water. Suicune was watching him closely.

For a few minutes, it appeared that nothing was happening. Then, suddenly, Jake jerked his knife up from the water, a nice size fish impaled on it. Jake tossed the fish to the bank and moved a few feet down the river before tried again. Twenty minutes later, he had got five fish. Two were rather large and he had gotten them for Suicune. The other three were smaller than those two and they were for himself.

With his fishing complete, Jake made his way back to the shore. Suicune was sitting there, waiting for him.

"_Very impressive."_ She said. _"Where did you learn to do that?"_

"It was something I taught myself." He replied. "Growing up, I spent a lot of time outdoors. I learned many "survival" skills."

They made their way back to the cave. The fire was still going. With the sun rapidly Jake sat down and got started on dinner. He couldn't believe how late it was…did he really sleep the day away? He must have been more tired than he thought.

He cleaned the fish and stuffed them with the wild herbs he had found. Once he had done that…he skewered them on thin sticks and set them near the fire. He then took the berries he had gathered and wrapped them in a large waxy leaf. He set that near the fire to let them cook as well. Last, he took the apples he picked and cored them before filling them with the last bit of berries he had. He then wrapped them in another waxy leaf and set them with the other berries to cook.

The cave soon filled with the smell of the cooking food. The smell was especially strong to Suicune's sensitive nose. She glanced over at Jake. Like before, he was staring into the depths of the fire, as if hoping to find the answer to a problem.

"_Tell me a story."_ She said as she lay down on the leaves.

"About what?" Jake asked.

"_Anything…just so it passes the time."_

Jake moved next to her and leaned hos back against her warm side. She rested her head beside him. Jake thought about a story. He had one that his mother used to tell him. It was about a boy who befriended a Ninetales.

_"There once was a young boy. He lived in a small town with his mother. His father had left to become a member of the Elite Four. The boy was always picked on and bullied by the other boys in his town. To get away from them, the boy would always go to this old burned house at the edge of town. It was an old two story house that was damaged badly by a fire long ago. No one dared to enter the house because they though it what dangerous. People would often talk of strange wailing sounds and odd lights that would come from the house. The boy wasn't scared though._

_ One day, a group of the other boys cornered the boy and began teasing him. They circled him and started to shove him around. The boy barge through a gap between the boys and he took off running down the road, to group of boys chasing him. He knew that if he could make it to the burned house…he might be able to get away._

_ He had just made it to the front gate when one of the boys caught up to him. The boy was thrown to the ground where the others circled him and began to kick him. All the boy could do was curl into a ball and wait for them to stop. Suddenly, a voice called out._

_ "THAT'S ENOUGH!" the voice shouted. The boys stopped and tried to find where the voice came from. The door to the house flew open. Inside, a pair of glowing eyes peered back at them. The group halted their attack on the boy to stare at the eyes._

_ Then, two blue fireballs shot out from the door and circled the young boy. They began to spin wildly around him forming a shield between him and the other boys. They took off running as fast as they could, screaming about ghosts. The boy looked up in enough time to see the fireballs float back inside the house and the eyes turned away._

_ He got to his feet and stumbled as fast as he could after them. All he could see was the two fireballs. They floated across the room and up the stairs. The boy followed them. He slowly climbed the stairs, growing more and more nervous with each creaking and cracking step._

_ They turned and floated down the hall and into a room. The boy followed them cautiously. He peeked into the room but didn't see anything. So he slowly entered the room looking for any sign of the fire. He was met by a voice._

_ "Why are you here?" the voice called. It was as if someone was talking in his head._

_ "I came to thank you." The boy replied._

_ "You just did…now leave here at once." The voice demanded._

_ "Before I go, can I at least see the one who saved me?"_

_ "Are you not afraid of this place? Of me?"_

_ "No."_

_ A pair of eyes flashed in front of an old fireplace. Blue fireballs began to spark up around the room. In their dim light, the boy could make out a figure that lay curled up on a rug in front of the fireplace. The figure stirred and slowly stood to its feet. In then approached the boy. As it entered the light, he gasped. Standing there was a Ninetales._

_ It was the most beautiful thing the boy had ever seen. The Ninetales stood tall and proud, is fur shimmering in the light of the fireballs that floated around the room. Its eyes were a deep brown color. They held the air of someone powerful and great, yet also sadness and grief._

_ "Why did you save me?" the boy asked._

_ "Because…you remind me of my old master."_

_ "What happened to your master?" _

_ "Many years ago…there was a fire that ravaged this house. My master perished in the fire trying to save me."_

_ "I am sorry to hear that…" The Ninetales looked away. "Why are you still here?"_

_ "We Ninetales are proud and loyal Pokémon." It replied turning back to him. "We honor our masters with great passion. We would gladly give our lives in order to save our masters."_

_ "Your master must have taken great care of you if you would stay here even though he is long gone."_

_ "He did. I still remember the days when I was just a Vulpix. My master spent his time making sure I was happy. He would spend hours brushing my fur, even though it wasn't me wanting to look good that made me happy. It was the fact that my master would spend so much time to make sure that I was happy."_

_ "Well, why don't you come with me?"_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "Well for starts, you said that I reminded you of your master. And I would also do whatever it takes to assure that you are happy and well taken care of."_

_ "Why would you do that for me?"_

_ "Look at it this way…is it really worth it to stay here, alone, to mourn your master when you can be happy if you came with me." The boy suddenly looked terrified. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." The Ninetales laughed._

_ "Ohh…how you so remind me of him." The Ninetales had never felt happiness in so long. Before it could answer, there was a sudden glow. The translucent image of a man appeared. Ninetales jumped to its feet. "MASTER! YOU'VE CAME BACK!" The ghost smiled._

_ "Yes…my faith full friend. I have returned." Before Ninetales could so much as move towards the apparition of its fallen master, the ghostly figure spoke again. "I have returned to tell you to go…go with this boy and live out your life."_

_ "But…Master…"_

_ "Ninetales…You know that I only want you to be happy."_

_ "I know."_

_ "So I want you to stop mourning me. It is time to move on. If you linger here, you will only be filled with hollow memories of what once was, and you will never be happy."_

_ "Master…"_

_ "My friend…I want you to go with him, not to see you go, but to see you be happy once again."_

_ "If you wish, Master."_

_ "Then go my friend…it is time to let the past go…time to move on and make new memories." _

_ The figure departed in a flash of light. There was a light tinkling noise as an object fell to the floor where the figure once stood. It was a soothe bell. The boy picked it up and took a shoelace from his shoe and made it into a necklace. He slipped over Ninetales's neck. Ninetales looked up at its new master and licked him on the cheek. The boy wrapped his arms around Ninetales, embracing it in a warm hug. From that point on…both Ninetales and the boy became the best of friends and were happy together for the rest of their lives."_

When Jake had finished his story, Suicune rubbed her eye with her paw.

_"That was a beautiful story."_

"It was my favorite." Jake said with a smile."Whenever I was feeling upset, she would always tell me that story and I would always feel better."

With a yawn, Jake got to his feet and checked to see if dinner was ready. When he declared it was, they bother gathered near the fire to enjoy it. Suicune had never tasted anything like it. The fish was cooked just right and the herbs gave it plenty of flavor. The steamed berries were also good.

Once they had finished the main meal, Jake pulled out the berry stuffed apples and stated that dessert was ready. The apples had become caramelized and the assortment of berries inside them gave them an arrange of flavors.

After the last bite was consumed, they decided it was time for bed. Jake wasted no time snuggling next to Suicune as she lay down. She curled around him and licked him lightly on the cheek. Jake smiled and hugged her in response. It wasn't long before Jake was asleep. Suicune on the other hand, could not sleep. She kept thinking about his story.

_"Maybe it's a sign." She said to herself. "A sign that says I should move on, and be happy…with someone who can make me happy."_

"Is something wrong?" Jake asked. Suicune looked down, startled. She thought he was asleep.

_"Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking out loud."_ She replied. Jake was unconvinced, but did not press the matter. He snuggled closer to her and in return, she held him tightly with her paw. _"Jake…" _she said suddenly.

"Yea, Suicune?" he asked.

_"I love you."_

"I love you, too."

She felt as if her heart would burst. She knew that she had found what she was missing and she knew that she would never be sad or lonely again. She licked him on the cheek before finally settling down. Jake shifted and kissed her softly on the cheek. With their bellies full of food and their hearts full of joy, they both fell asleep in each other's embrace.

**_Next Chapter: The Pursuit of Happiness; Suicune's Question_**...


	5. Ch 5: The Pursuit of Happiness Suicune's

_**Chapter 5: The Pursuit of Happiness; Suicune's Question**_ (Probably the shortest chapter)

Suicune lay there, tormented by her thought and emotions. She knew she loved Jake. She didn't care that he was a human. She just didn't know how to tell him or how he would react to her feelings for him. She suddenly got an idea. She would do a little "tampering" with his dreams. She had done it before and was able to get Jake to come find her and to open up and share his past memories. She wondered if she would be able to get him to reveal his feelings for her also. Slowly, she extended her mind out and enveloped Jake's conscious.

_Jake was walking through a forest deep in its fall faze. The trees were dropping their leaves enveloping the trail with a sea of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. Every step emitted a crunch. The sun was setting filling the forest with is warm glow._

_ He could sense Suicune in his mind. She had come along this trail for some reason and went to a secluded part of the forest. He aimlessly walked along as if he knew exactly where to find her. For a minute, he closed his eyes and still was able to follow the path she had taken. Before long, the trees opened up a little._

_ Jake stumbled into a circular opening in the trees. In the center of the tree was one large tree, a cherry tree that was in full bloom. The vivid pink petals fell like snow from the tree and littered the soft grass below. Under the tree was Suicune. She sat there waiting for him._

_ "Jake…" she said in a calm voice. "Come sit by me." There was an odd tone in her voice. Jake warily made his was over and sat next to her. There was something different about her. If was almost like he could feel the aura she was giving off. It was like she was enveloping his very being and soothing him with warm water._

_ "Suicune..? Is there something wrong?" Jake asked, worried that she was possibly sick. She looked away and didn't answer him. Jake slid his hand onto her paw. "Suicune…you can tell me. No matter what it is…I'm here."_

_ "Jake…I think I'm in love with you." She said turning to face him. Her cheeks flushed a light red and she looked down. Jake stroked her along her leg._

_ "Why?" He asked. "I'm just some lone random human." At first, Suicune was upset by his reaction. Then she read his emotions and realized he was being honest. He was honestly wondering why someone would be having feelings for him._

_ "Because…" She explained. "I have never felt this way with anyone; human or Pokémon. You showed me that I was not forgotten; that I was worth remembering. You don't know how it feels to be here, alone for nearly a century with no one really believing in you. And for once, I was happy again." Jake looked down as she continued._

_ "Jake…I truly love you and I want to be with you. I don't care that you're a human…love knows no bounds between species. I don't even care what others may thing. All I know is that I DO want to be with you." It took Jake a moment to gather his thoughts._

_ "Suicune…I really don't know what to say. I've never really had anyone who cared to be with me. I'll admit, once you came into my life, I found a new joy I never knew. To be honest…if I hadn't found you; I might have been on the verge of suicide within a month. Ever since I met you, I've had a reason to live." _

_ Suicune felt warm inside when she realized how much she really meant to him. Suddenly, something inside her urged her into action. She gently pushed Jake onto his back and lay on top of him, looking down into his eyes._

_ "Suicune, what are you doi…" Jake started but before he could finish, she locked her lips with his in a passionate kiss. At first, she could feel him trying to pull away but as she continued to kiss him, she felt him relax and accept it. He wrapped his arms around her neck and returned the kiss._

_Jake felt himself becoming aroused and then realized Suicune had noticed as well. She looked at him with an odd look and Jake blushed. She smiled softly gave him another passionate kiss before resting her head on his shoulder._

"_I love you, Jake."_

"_I love you, too, Suicune."_

Jake woke up and found himself in a hap-hazard hug with Suicune's neck. He felt his erection pressing against her side and he quickly rolled over before he woke her. Little did he know, she was already awake. Suicune smiled slightly when she realized how much she affected him. Did she push a little too far? She didn't know and she didn't care. She felt that she had gotten her message across.

Jake lay there thinking about his dream. Why did he have a dream like that? He was sorta glad he woke up before he managed to see how far it would have gotten. He tried to go back to sleep, but he was still somewhat unnerved that he had a dream like that, with a Pokémon none the less.

Jake got up slowly so he wouldn't wake Suicune and he went over and sat by the fire. After a minute, he got it going again. He kept replaying the dream in his mind. Things started to fit together. He remembered how on that TV show about legendary Pokémon he had seen had mentioned how Suicune could communicate on a telepathic level and that there was more they didn't know she could do.

_Has she been tampering with my mind?_ He asked himself. Thinking back…he remembered the first dream he had had of her. She told him to come to her and in the end he did. The second dream he had, she had tried to get him to share his past memories and talk about them and in the end, and he did. Now he had this dream where she confessed her attractions for him and in the end, he confessed his feeling for her.

_Maybe she wanted me to meet her and the more we met, the more she fell for me._ He looked back at Suicune who was still sleeping. _Maybe this was the only way she could confess her feelings; through my dreams._ Now that he thought about it, he did have feelings for her. _I just don't know what to do. _Suicune stretched as she got up and slowly padded over and set next to him.

"_Jake…why are you p so early? Is something wrong?" _

Jake didn't want to talk about the dream he had just had…but he didn't want to completely ignore the situation entirely. He didn't quite know how he would hand's situation. Finally, he got the nerve to ask.

"Suicune…have you been trying to tell me something?" he asked. "I have a feeling that you are somehow connected to why I keep having dreams about you." Had he figured her out? She didn't know, but she decided to come clean.

"_Yes, Jake. I am the reason why you have been having these dreams about me. I have been entering you mind while you sleep and have been..."tampering" with your thoughts."_ When she said it, she realized that is didn't sound entirely polite as she thought.

"Why?" Jake asked. "If you have feelings for me, why don't you just come out and say it?"

"_Because, I didn't know how you would react if I did. I thought you might have gotten mad if I did."_

"Well, I am mad that you did mess with my mind like that." Jake admitted. Suicune felt ashamed. She looked down. The last thing she wanted to do was upset him. Suddenly, he placed a hand on her cheek, causing her to look at him. "But I am not mad at you for your feelings."

"_You're not?"_ she asked somewhat relieved. Jake shook his head.

"No, it's natural for someone to have these sort of feelings some time or another. In fact…I noticed that I too have had feelings for you."

She was suddenly thrown of be his confession. She looked at him, surprised.

"_You have?" _She asked. Jake nodded.

"At first, I didn't quite understand it, but now I think I do." Suicune was overjoyed. She lowered herself until she was eyelevel with him. He could feel her love for him and she could feel the love he had for her.

"_Oh, Jake…I don't quite know what to say."_ Jake smiled.

"You don't have to say anything." He said before pulling her in for a soft kiss. She was shocked by his sudden forwardness. Then without warning, she laid him back like she had done in his dream and kissed him deeply and passionately.

"_Jake."_ She said as she looked him earnestly in the eyes. _"I know we have just met and that this may seem sudden but…I was wondering if you would make me the happiest I have ever been by sharing this life with me?"_

Jake smiled. He could feel her heart beating against his chest. The warmth of her body seemed to course through him as did the love she had for him. He knew that his life became better the moment she entered it. He knew that he had never felt this way before about anyone else. And he knew that she was the one that he wanted to spend his life with.

"Yes." He replied. "I will spend the rest of this life with you. I don't care if you a Pokémon, cause it doesn't matter. Because knowing that I am making you happy is all that matters to me."

Suicune seemed to almost coo with joy as she wrapped her paws around him in a warm embrace as she kissed him passionately again and again. They rolled around in their embrace kissing and panting until they had to stop to breathe. She rolled over and smiled.

"_Join me, my lover, and let us go watch the sun rise."_ She said in an alluring voice.

"Yes, my love. Let's" he replied.

**_Next Chapter: Forgotten Memories; A Troubled Past Return__s_**


	6. Ch 6: Forgotten Memories A Troubled Pas

_**Chapter 6: Forgotten Memories; A Troubled Past Returns**_

Jake followed Suicune outside. The sun wasn't up yet but the pink glow on the horizon meant that it would be soon.

_"Climb on."_ Suicune said as she lay flat on her stomach. Jake slowly climbed onto her back. He gripped tightly around her neck as when she stood up. _"Sit back and relax. I won't let you fall."_ She added.

Jake leaned back and braced himself. Suicune took off at a slow trot but soon she was in a full run. Jake felt as if he was flying. Unlike the first time he rode her, he was able to enjoy it this time. He laughed as she weaved nimbly through the trees.

_"Duck."_ She said suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

_"DUCK!"_ she repeated. Suddenly, it felt as if a hand had been placed on the center of his back and pushed him forward. He barely noticed the large tree limb that sailed inches over his head. He realized that if it wasn't for Suicune's Psychic that could have turned out badly.

"Thanks." He managed to reply. Suicune glanced back at him.

_"Just listen next time."_ She said smugly.

They continued to race through the forest. Jake started to notice that they were getting higher in elevation. _She must be taking me through a part of the mountain._ Jake thought.

_"Correct."_ Suicune replied. Jake was somewhat stunned.

"Do you always read my thoughts?" he asked.

_"Not normally, but it's kinda hard not to seeing as I am attached to you."_

_"So, if I were to think what I wanted to say…you could still hear me?"_

_"Yes."_

They continued their way up the trail and it wasn't long before they came to an opening. It was an opening that spilt out to a high cliff that overlooked the valley. Jake felt as if he had been there before.

"You took me here in that dream when you tried to get me to talk about my past."

_"Yes."_ She replied. _"It has always been one of my favorite places to come."_ She made her way to the ledge and sat down and looked out over the valley.

"Why?" Jake asked.

_"Come sit and you will soon see."_

Jake sat next to her. The minutes crept past and nothing much seemed to happen. Slowly, the sun started to peek over the mountains on the far side of the valley. The sky grew orange as it rose higher. It was like the valley had been unrolled like a map in front of him.

"It's beautiful." Jake said.

_"Yes, it is."_

"I can see why you would love to come here so much."

_"When I was a pup, my father would bring me here sometimes."_ Jake felt Suicune grow sad at the thought of her father.

"It's alright, Suicune." He said reassuringly as he placed his hand on her paw. "He is up there somewhere, watching over you. Just like I know my mom is up there watching me." Suicune looked down at the human whom she loved and smiled.

_"Thank you, Jake."_ She said and she licked him lightly on the cheek. _"You're so sweet to say that."_ Jake just smiled and rested his head against her leg as she rested her chin on his head. Suddenly, she started to hum a tune that Jake knew.

"How do you know that song?" Jake asked shocked as he looked up at her. "My mom use to sing me that song when I couldn't sleep."

_"I picked it up when I scanned through your memories."_

Jake wrapped his arms around her leg in a hug while she continued to hum as they both watched the sun rise higher over the valley. Suicune felt Jake's mood change. He was sad.

_"What's wrong, Jake?"_ she asked as she nuzzled his neck.

"I realized that I need to get back home today. I got to get some things done before work tomorrow." He said. "But I don't want to leave you."

_"It's alright."_ She replied. _"I will come with you."_

"But where will you stay? I don't want too many people seeing you."

_"I will stay at your place. I will just stay outta sight if you have company."_

"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm your master or anything."

_"Jake."_ She said looking at him straight in the eyes._ "I know you wouldn't treat me like I was just a simple Pokémon. And besides…we are partners now; I go where you go."_

"That choice is yours alone…I won't force you to do anything."

_"I know you won't. Like I said…I want to come with you."_

"Alright…well, let's get back to the cave so I can get my things."

Suicune laid down so he could climb on her back and without a sound, they were soon speeding back to the cave. They stayed long enough to eat a quick breakfast and Jake to pack his things before the set out for his home. Along the way back, Jake was constantly thinking about where Suicune would stay. If she stayed outside…someone would surely see her. But he wasn't sure it she would fit inside his house…it was rather confined.

It wasn't long before they were standing in Jake's garden. He was surprised as to how fast they had gotten there. He made his way up to the backdoor and unlocked it. He then pushed the door aside and made his way in. He turned to see Suicune squeeze her way in through the door.

He laughed and she just rolled her eyes before scanned the room. They were in the kitchen. Jake made his way up to his room. He threw his things on his bed and stripped off his shirt. As he pulled it over his face; Jake about screamed when he found Suicune sitting in front of him.

"How did you get up here without me hearing you?" he asked. She laughed at the fact that she had scared him.

_"It was easy…I just walked." _She replied with another chuckle.

Jake sighed and shook his head.

"Well, I need to get cleaned up. I guess you can wait wherever." He grabbed some clothes and made his way to the bathroom. He pushed the door up and stripped down before climbing into the shower. The warm water felt good on his skin after spend the past two days in the woods.

He didn't want to take too long so he finished as fast as he could. He shut the water off and pulled back the shower curtain, only to find Suicune halfway in the bathroom. Jake shouted and pulled the curtain back closed. He almost slipped in the wet shower and he probably would have if he hadn't grabbed onto the wash rag bar.

"Damnit, Suicune!" he shouted. "Stop doing that. You're gonna give me a heart attack."

_"Stop doing what?"_ She asked as if she had done nothing wrong.

"How the hell do you move around so quietly?"

_"I can do a lot of things…anyway. I was just coming to see if you needed help."  
><em>"I'm fine. Now can you go, I gotta get dressed."

Suicune rolled her eyes and backed out of the bathroom before she turned and headed downstairs. Jake quickly dried off and got dressed before going down to join her. She was lying in an open area near the fireplace. She looked up as he came down the stairs.

_"Are you angry with me?"_ she asked.

"No." he replied. "You just startled me."

_"So, what do you need to do today?"_

"Well, I'd like to get the place tidied up a bit. Then I need to run into town to grab a few things."

_"Is there any way I can help?"_

"You don't have to do anything."

_"I know, but I want to…that way, you get everything done faster."_

"If you want to help you can, but like I said…I won't make you do anything."

Jake got some cleaning supplies and started cleaning the living room. After he dusted everything; he pulled out the vacuum to clean the carpet. Suicune stood out the way and with Psychic, lifted all the furniture so Jake could vacuum under it.

She was right. With her help, he was able to get the place clean a lot sooner than he thought. He went into the kitchen and started writing down the things he needed in a list. He then made sure he had the money to pay for it. Once ready, he slipped on a light jacket and his shoes. Suicune got up and made her way after him.

"Are you sure you want to come?" he asked.

_"Why…do you not want me to come?" _She asked somewhat sad.

"I just that you didn't want a lot of people to see you."

_"I don't care if people see me or not I want to come with you."_

"Alright…you can come."

Jake made his way out the door and Suicune followed him. He locked the door behind them before turning off to head to the center of town. In the center of the town they usually had a layout of tents which formed a local market full of vendors both locally and from neighboring towns who wanted to sell their goods. Jake would actually have a tent set up on Saturdays where he would sell some of the things he grew in his garden as well as some of the things he crafted in his free time.

As they walked down the path people were staring and pointing at them, mainly Suicune. She paid them no mind but Jake on the other hand didn't care for all the extra attention. Jake made his way to Mr. Polkins. He needed to grab a few things there.

The old man was sweeping his walk like he did every morning. He dropped his broom as they approached.

"J-J-Jake?" he stuttered.

"Morning Mr. Polkins." He replied.

"Is that a S-S-Su-."

"Yes. It's Suicune." He said. The old man took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt before returning them to his face as if trying to prove that he was actually seeing the legendary Pokémon before him.

"H-H-how…" he started to ask.

"It's a long story." Jake said with a wave of his hand. Suicune nudged him on the shoulder.

_"Be nice, now, Jake." _ She said in a teasing voice, projecting her voice so they both could hear her. _"If the man wants to know…tell him."_ Mr. Polkins looked shocked when he heard her speak.

So, Jake told the man about how he came to be with Suicune, though he left out the more intimate details. Suicune seemed not to mind that he did so. The old man laughed when he finished and clapped him on the arm.

"So I see you took after your mother." He said. "She was hell-bent on seeing that Suicune she had seen when she was younger." Jake laughed.

"Yea…I guess you're right. It was the stories about Suicune she use to tell me that got me wanting to see her as well."

"Well, what brings you to my shop this fine morning?"

"Well, I needed a sack of flour and maybe a couple pecha loaves." The old man smiled.

"Wait right here." He said before quickly making his way back into his shop.

_"Well, he seems nice."_ Suicune said. Jake nodded.

_"Mr. Polkins is one of the few people in town that I don't have a problem with."_ He replied with his mind, not wanting to speak aloud due to the small crowd starting to form not far off. Mr. Polkins soon returned with a bag of flour and two fresh loaves of pecha bread.

"Here you go…the bread is on me." He said happily. Jake started to protest but the old man cut him off. "Bringing me this joy to witness is pay enough. Jake smiled and took the goods and paid for the flour. Suicune sniffed one of the loaves of bread. Jake nodded and she snapped it up in two bites.

The old man held his breath awaiting the response of the legendary Pokémon. Suicune smiled and laughed in her mind. When she finished, she licked her chops and gave a slight grin.

_"That was delicious, Mr. Polkins. I enjoyed it immensely." _She said. The old man laughed when she said that.

"To see you enjoy something I made so much, Suicune, brings me great joy. I am glad you liked it."

Jake said that they needed to get going if they were to get the rest of the things on his list. Mr. Polkins bid them farewell saying that they could came back anytime for a fresh loaf of pecha bread on the house.

Jake made his way down the trail with Suicune at his side.

_"See, that wasn't so bad."_ She jested.

_"He wasn't one of the ones I am worried about."_ Jake admitted.

They made their way deeper into town while people continued to stop and stare. By the looks of it, some were even following them as if to see what the legendary Pokémon was doing in their little town and why was it following Jake.

They soon came to the local market only to receive silent gasps and stares. Jake made his way to the stalls he needed to visit. Some of the vendors were so shocked by the fact that a Suicune was visiting their stalls that they gave Jake discounts for the purchased good of even gave them to him for free.

_"I guess that wasn't so bad." _Jake admitted. _"I did get a lot of good deals on your part." _ Suicune chuckled with a grin past the bag of goods she had clenched in her teeth. As they made their way back down the path, a group of boys about Jake's age stepped out in front of them. The four of them had sly grins on their faces.

"We challenge you to a battle." The head of the group said. He had on dark pants and a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses. The other three were dressed the same, but without the glasses. Jake knew them to well. They were a group of trouble makers who were always up to no good.

"No thanks." Jake said and started to walk past them. The leader stopped him.

"I didn't say wither it was your decision or not." He said with a grin as he got in Jake's face. "The rules are, we challenge you, we battle you, and we take our winnings when it's over." He was trying to be intimidating. Jake was not impressed.

"I said no." he repeated. "Now, I suggest that unless you want to be eating you teeth, you move out the way." The leader scowled and the others cracked their knuckles.

"Why you little punk." The leader hissed. Before anyone could move, Suicune jumped between them and started the harassers down. They seemed a little frightened by her.

_"We accept your challenge."_ She said in a sinister voice. The thugs looked a bit unnerved when she spoke and Jake didn't blame them. The tone of her voice frightened him even.

_"Suicune, are you sure?"_ Jake asked. She nodded.

_"I will not have them treat you as such. They need to be taught a lesson in respect."_

"Respect…HA." The leader laughed. "It will be you who learns a lesson in respect and why you shouldn't mess with us." Jake had enough.

"Let's show these punks who they are dealing with, Suicune." Jake called out. They took their battle stances. Suicune stood in front of Jake and stared down the opponents. The leader nodded to one of his lackeys who stepped forward. The man snickered as he drew a pokéball. He tossed it onto the path and with a bright flash a Machamp appeared. While flexing its upper arms; the Machamp cracked the knuckles of its lower arms.

"Let's see how you fair against my Machamp." The man chuckled. "Go Machamp! Show 'em your Seismic Toss." The Pokémon roared and charged Suicune. She stayed in place, not faltering from the advancing opponent.

_"It's a fighting type, Suicune."_ Jake said. _"Let's see how it can withstand your psychic powers."_ In response, Suicune emitted a psychedelic beam of energy from her mouth. This Psybeam hit the Machamp square in the chest sending it backwards several feet. It fell to the ground unable to battle.

The man called his Pokémon and one of his buddies replace him.

"He was a chump." The next man said. "Let's see you get past my Pokémon." His pokéball revealed an Aggron which stomped the ground in an intimidating manner. Suicune was unimpressed. "Aggron, take it out with your Metal Claw!" The Aggron charged forward, its right claws glowing bright silver.

Right before it made contact, Suicune stopped it with Psychic. Then, while her foe was held in place, she hit it with a powerful Hydro Pump which sent the Aggron flying into a tree where it slumped to the ground motionless.

"Damnit!" the man shouted as he returned his fainted Pokémon to its pokéball. The leader looked at the last of his henchmen who shook his head. With a growl, the leader grabbed him and shoved him forward. His Pokémon turned out to be a Magmar which Suicune easily defeated.

"Looks like I have to do everything myself." The leader said stepping forward. His first Pokémon was a Muk. Suicune took it out with a well-aimed Psybeam. His next Pokémon was an Aerodactyl. It tried to hit Suicune with a Wing Attack but she easily dodged it and put it down with her Ice Beam.

"Well, let's see how you deal with this!" the leader yelled as he threw his last two pokéballs. They opened up to a Tyranitar and a Typhlosion. Before Jake could protest, Suicune stopped him. He felt that she wanted to take them one so he let her.

"Typhlosion use Fire Blast and Tyranitar use Hyper Beam!" the leader shouted. They both released their attacks with terrifying power. Typhlosion's Fire Blast seemed to spiral around Tyranitar's Hyper Beam and they were heading right for Jake.

Suicune jumped in the way and blocked the attack with an odd shield like attack, protecting Jake from the blast. Then, she picked the two Pokémon up with Psychic and slammed them into each other. They struggled get free but couldn't escape her awesome power as she slammed them into each other again. She then dropped them to the ground and hit them with a full powered Hydro Pump, taking them both out with the one shot.

"Oh fuck this shit!" the leader shouted as he recalled his fallen Pokémon and tried to shove past his crew.

_"Suicune…stop them."_ Jake said. Her eyes glowed a deep purplish-blue as she froze the four of them in place with her Psychic. The grunted and groaned as they tried to move but were unable to get away. Jake slowly made his way to face them with Suicune behind him, her eyes still glowing.

"Wh-what do you want?" the leader asked in a panicked voice. Jake just smiled. The leader had pissed himself out of fear.

"My, my." Jake said as he shook his head. "What happened to all that courage you had a minute ago when you were so determined that you would beat me." His voice was calm like water yet it was oddly chilling and made Suicune shiver.

"Look, please don't hurt us…we only wanted to see how strong you were…right guys?" The others fearfully agreed with him. Jake just stared back at them. "Look, what do you want?"

"Let's see." Jake said. "You challenged me; you failed…so that means I get my winnings."

"H-h-here." The leader said as he dug through his pockets and tossed a wad of cash at Jakes feet. "Take it."

"All of it." Jake said

"But I don't have any more." He said. Jake snapped his fingers and Suicune lifted them a few feet off the ground. "Ok ok…Give him your money guys." They quickly threw their money with the rest.

Jake smiled at it before looking back at them.

"There, you have your damn money. Now let us go." The leader pleaded.

"Oh, I'm not finished with you just yet." Jake added.

"WAIT, WHAT THE FU…" he started but when Jake snapped his fingers, Suicune held his mouth shut.

"Here's what's gonna happen." Jake said getting close to his face. "We're gonna let you go, and you get the hell out of here. And if I ever see or hear of you harassing anyone in this town ever again…well, let's just say Suicune will be looking forward to have some more fun." When he said that, Suicune growled in response. The man's eyes bulged in fear as he nodded his head vigorously whimpering.

"Let 'em go." Jake said. Suicune's eyes stopped glowing as she released her Psychic. The four thugs took off running past them down the trail not even bother to look back. Jake chuckled and rubbed the side of Suicune's face.

_"You were wonderful."_ He said. She seemed to almost purr with his praise. Jake gathered up the money and gave it to one of the gentlemen who had watched the battle before picking up his goods and continued down the trail back home.

Once home, Jake put away his groceries before he made his way into the living room to make a fire in the fireplace. Suicune joined him in front of it and they both soaked up the warmth. They dozed off for a few hours before waking up to find themselves hungry.

Jake made them lunch and after they had ate…they retreaded back to their cozy spot by the fireplace. They dozed on and off for about another hour before they were woken up by a knock on the door. Jake got up to see who it was. When he opened the door; Jake was met by an older man with a scraggly beard.

"Jake?" the man asked. "Is that you?"

"Who wants to know." Jake asked. The man looked upset.

"It's me Jake…don't you recognize your own father." Jake stood there stunned. The last person he was expecting to see was his father.

"Dad?" he asked. The man nodded. He went to give Jake a hug but Jake backed away. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I thought I would stop by and see how you were doing and wish you a happy birthday." Jake was thrown off. He had totally forgotten it was his birthday. Suicune, who had gotten up to see who was at the door, growled lightly when the man had said he was Jake's father. The man eyed her suspiciously.

"What the…? Is that a Suicune?"

"Don't mind her…"Jake snapped. "Why are you here?"

"I told you already…look, it's kinda cold out here and we need to talk. Can I come in?" Jake turned and walked off and the man entered and closed the door behind him. Jake went and stood next to Suicune who was started down the man. He was about to take a seat but Jake stopped him.

"Don't even bother…I doubt you will be here that long. Now, you have five minutes…start talking."

"Look, Jake…we have had a rough past but I want to make up for it."

"A rough past?" Jake repeated. "You call leaving me at the age of twelve to take care of myself a rough past? I say that's well beyond a rough past."

"I know it may have been a long time…but I regret doing it."

"If you regret it so bad, why did you take nearly five years to come back?"

"I was confused, Jake…I wasn't right in the head…I…"

"And you're still not right in the head." Jake shouted, cutting him off.

"Jake why are you angry? I'm trying to make amends for what I did."

"Who the hell do you think you are? You walk out of my life for five years and expect that a little apology will make it all find and dandy? Let me tell you something "Dad." It doesn't work like that."

"I still don't see why you won't hear me out."

_"Well, let's see."_ Suicune butted in. She had had quite enough of this man. _"You'd rather be making money than be spending time with your own son. Then, you basically walk out on him and say you'd rather start a new life. I think I can see clearly why Jake is mad at you."_

"I don't need someone to tell me how to raise my kid." The man said turning to her. "Especially if it's some bitch ass Pokémon!" That was the final straw. A cry tore from Jake's lips as he rushed forward and struck the man across the face. He fell to the floor with a thump clutching his face.

Before his dad could move, Jake grabbed him and drug him to the front door. Flinging it open, he hurled the man outside.

"I will not have you talk to her that way in my house!" Jake yelled.

"I don't believe it." The man said. "Thrown out into the cold by my own son."

"I'm not your fucking son!" Jake yelled. "The day you walked out and said you wanted a different life, you made it very clear that I wasn't your son! Now, get the fuck out of here before I call the police!" The man staggered to his feet and stumbled down the trail. Jake walked back into the house and slammed the door behind him.

He sang to the floor, breathing heavily, and sagged against the coffee table. His whole body trembled as he sat there staring into the fire. Suicune came over to him, nudging him gently on the arm.

_"Ohh, Jake…" _she whispered softly. Jake just got up and made his way to the kitchen. Suicune followed him. As he got a drink of water, she noticed his right hand was still shaking badly. The skin on his knuckles was bruised and split. It looked as if at least two of his fingers were broken. Blood slowly flowed down from his knuckles and dripped on the floor.

_"Jake, your hurt!" _ Suicune said worried. Jake just walked past her.

"I'm fine." He said in a rough voice. "I just need to be alone." He stumbled to the bathroom where he wrapped a cold wet rag around his hand before going to his room pushing the door up behind him. Suicune was left alone in the living room.

_Jake…_she said to herself. She knew that it was best if he wasn't alone after dealing with that. So after a few minutes, she made her way up to his room. His door was opened a little so she nosed it open the rest of the way. Jake lay curled up on his bed.

Suicune slowly padded of and curled up around him. Jake sniffed and snuggled closer to her. She lay there quietly for several minutes.

_"Suicune…"_ he said quietly. _"I'm sorry."_

_"For what?"_

_ 'For saying I needed to be alone…I don't want to be alone…not anymore."_

_ "Don't worry, Jake. I'm here now…and I will always be here…cause were partners. I feel like I can't go on without you by my side."_ Jake rolled over to face her.

_ "I will never leave your side."_ He said before kissing her passionately before they snuggled together, shutting out the rest of the world and only focusing on each other.

_**Next Chapter: A New Life: The Conclusion to The Legend of Suicune.**_


	7. Ch 7: A New Life, The Conclusion of TLoS

_**Chapter 7: A New Life; The Conclusion to The Legend of Suicune**_

Jake woke to find himself snuggled in a warm embrace with Suicune. He smiled and kissed her softly on the cheek before slowly getting up. Before he could, however, Suicune wrapped her paws around him and pulled him in a hug.

_"Where are you sneaking of to, love?"_ She asked sleepily. Jake just smiled.

"Nowhere…I was just gonna go start breakfast." He replied.

_"That sounds good."_

They made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. Jake started on breakfast. He noticed that his hand wasn't hurt anymore. He gave Suicune a questioning look.

_"I healed it while you slept last night."_ She said with a smile. Jake hugged her before turning back to finish breakfast. He made himself an omelet with cheese and made one about twice that size for Suicune. They enjoyed the meal as well as each other's company. Once finished, Jake cleaned the kitchen.

_"So, do you have to do anything today?"_ Suicune asked.

"Yea." Jake replied with a nod. "I gotta go do some work down at the lab today."

_"Can I come?"_

"Of course…It's not like I can make you stay here anyway." He chuckled.

Jake went and looked at the calendar. Something his dad had said made him somewhat confused. He said he was stopping to say happy Birthday, but yesterday wasn't his birthday…today was. Jake couldn't believe he had been so caught up with things that he forgot that it was his birthday.

_I certainly don't feel nineteen._ Jake thought. _More like twenty-nine._ He sighed and went to get ready for slipped on a pair of blue jeans and a plain tee shirt before slipping on his shoes.

_"Is something wrong, Jake?"_ Suicune asked as he came down the stairs.

"No." Jake said shaking his head. He slipped on his jacket and headed out the door. Once Suicune was out, he closed the door and locked it. He was just wondering how he was going to get to the lab when Suicune crouched down low.

_"Get on."_ She said. Jake climbed on and steadied himself as she straightened. She crouched down and Jake could feel her muscles tighten beneath him. He braced himself for the sudden surge of her taking off at full speed. She seemed to fly down the trail shocking all that managed to glimpse the blue blur.

They reached the lab in only a few minutes. Jake jumped down from her back and strolled up to the door. He punched in the code and walked through the doors. Suicune followed behind him. He strolled in and hung his jacket on the rack and slipped on his lab coat. The lab seemed oddly quiet.

"Hello." Jake called out. "Is anyone here?" There was no response. He asked again and again there was no reply. Now things were really odd. Jonas wasn't in the lab. Steelheart wasn't in his office either. None of the vehicles were missing from the garage so Lily wasn't out scouting. In fact, Jake didn't see any of the other workers either. "Where the hell is everyone?" he asked.

Suicune sniffed the air and she scanned the room. Her eyes suddenly started to glow.

_"I sense several presences this way."_ She said lifting her par to the direction she was referring. It was the hall to the break room. He rarely went there. Jake made his way down the hall to the break room. Before he could enter it, Suicune stopped him. _"I don't like this…it's almost like they are hiding."_

_"Then stick close."_ Jake said. He slowly crept forward with Suicune right behind him. The lights were off. Why were they off? Jake slid his hand along the wall as he blindly felt for the light switch. His fingers brushed against it. He flicked it on and was almost deafened by shouts.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAKE!" He heard shouted by a group of people which was then followed by several audible gasps. Jake looked up to see everyone standing around a cake. All eyes were on Suicune.

"It can't be…" Professor Steelheart said as he rubbed his eyes. "A Suicune…a real Suicune in my lab. Now this is a sight to see."

"What the hell?" Jake said when he managed to catch his breath. "Are you guys trying to kill me or something?" Everyone turned to him as if they just noticed he was there.

"Oh, sorry, Jake." Steelheart said. "Didn't mean to frighten you." His attention immediately returned to Suicune who slow began making her way towards Jake. Jake could sense that she was somewhat frightened which was kinda a first for her. Everyone began to move closer, all talking excitedly, and Suicune crouched behind Jake, growling lightly.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Jake asked. He placed a hand on Suicune and found her trembling. "Why would you do something like that?"

"We just wanted to wish you a happy birthday." Jonas said. "We didn't mean to cause such a scare."

"Well you kinda did." He replied. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to calm her down now. You guys…just stay here for a moment." He turned to Suicune. _"Come on."_ He said softly. She slowly got to her unsteady feet and followed Jake into the next room.

Once there, Suicune laid down and stared at the floor. Jake slowly made his way over and sat next to her. He was shocked when he seen that she was crying. He wrapped his arms around her head and held it in his lap. He stroked her cheek and neck gently as he tried to soothe her.

"_Suicune..? Are you alright?"_ he asked worried. She didn't answer._ "Suicune…look at me." _She slowly turned her head until her eyes met his. He wiped away the tears that slowly flowed down her cheeks. _"Are you alright?"_

"_I…I think so."_ She replied uneasily. Jake continued to hold her for several minutes. _"Oh, Jake…I'm soo sorry you had to see me like this."_ She was on the verge of more tears. _"I don't know what came over me. It was all sudden and I didn't know what had happened. I didn't know if you were hurt or…"_ her voice trailed off. Jake rubbed her neck.

_ "It's okay now, Suicune. They didn't mean to scare you. They just wanted to surprise me for my birthday. Believe me…I will have a talk with them later about this."_ Suicune buried her face into his chest and he rubbed her neck some more. A sudden knock on the door made them both look up. It was Lily. Suicune gave a low growl.

_"It's okay."_ He said stroking her. _"She's not gonna hurt you."_

_"It's not me that I am worried about." _she replied.

_"She's not going to hurt me either."_

"Is Suicune alright?" Lily asked with a worried look on her face.

"She's fine." Jake replied. "Just a little shaken up."

"Jake, I'm so sorry." Lily said taking a seat in a nearby chair. "The surprise party was my idea. I had no idea you would be bringing "a quest." If I would have known, I would have…"

"It's alright, you didn't know." He replied.

"Everyone is worried."

"She is fine. We'll be out in a few." Lily nodded and left to tell the others.

_"Jake…I am sorry for the way I reacted."_ Suicune said ashamed.

_"It's alright…I would have reacted the same way if I was in your shoes…err…paws."_ Suicune laughed lightly when he said that. _"Come on…let's go out there."_ Jake could fell she was still a little scared. He pulled her close and kissed her softly. As he did, it felt like all her fear melted away. _"Don't be scared. I won't let them do anything to you."_

Jake stood up and a moment later, Suicune finally got to her feet. She followed Jake out the door as they went back to the break room. Jake heard quiet voices as the others talked. When they entered, everyone looked at them. Jake felt Suicune grow slightly uneasy.

_"It's alright."_ He reassured.

"Jake…we are truly sorry for what happened." Steelheart said. "We didn't mean to scare Suicune in the first place. We also didn't mean to over react when we had seen her."

"It's alright." Jake said waving his hand. "You guys didn't know I had brought her with me."

"Is _she_ alright?" Jonas asked. Jake nodded.

"She is fine…just a little bit startled. She didn't know what was going on."

"Again…we are sorry." Steelheart repeated. Everyone around the room nodded in agreement.

"It's alright…now…enough of all this…did I hear that you were throwing me a party or what?"

Everyone laughed and they all pulled up some chairs to the table. Suicune sat behind Jake and watched everything from over his head. They pushed the cake in front of him and had him blow out the candles…something he thought was a bit childish…but he didn't complain. Once that was done, they started handing him gifts.

"This was something your mother had a few years back." Steelheart said handing him a small box. "I thought you might want it." Jake unwrapped the box and opened it. It was a blue shell like flute. There were intricate designs carved on its surface and the overall craftsmanship was remarkable.

"Thank you." Jake said with a big smile. Steelheart just waved his hand. Jonas handed him another box. This turned out to be a new camera. Jake laughed and clasped him in a friendly hug, thanking him. Jonas just shrugged.

Lily's gift turned out to be a soothe bell. It glistened in the list and rang out the purest of notes when shook. He thanked her and she said with was nothing. His other gifts included a new hiking pack, new fishing gear, a new sketch pad, and a few other odds and ends. His last gift was a large bottle of wine imported from the Kanto Region.

"Now, we chipped in to get you that." Steelheart said with a chuckle. "And even though you're a bit underage to be drinking, we all think you deserve it after all you've been through and everything you've done to help out."

Jake laughed and popped the cork which erupted a few cheers from the crowd and soon, everyone had a glass. Steelheart stood up and cleared his throat.

"To Jake." He said raising his glass. "You are one amazing guy. You've had to deal with so much growing up and you managed to overcome that and still find time to help those in need around you. I am glad to have you as an assistant."

"To Jake." The group repeated as they raised their glasses before taking a drink. Jake didn't take a drink however. He stood up and looked around at his friends. Someone in the back called "Speech!" causing him to laugh.

"You guys are some of the best friends anyone could ever want." He said. "I didn't think anyone would remember my birthday. Hell, I didn't even remember it until I looked at my calendar this morning. You guys didn't have to do all this but you did…and for that, I thank you. To you guys." He said raising his glass.

"To us." The group laughed as the raised their glasses again before taking another drink.

After everyone had had at least one glass of wine in them, the talk turned to Suicune and how she had come to be with Jake. They all gathered around as Jake told them about when he had first seen Suicune up until how she saved his life.

_"'Yes, he reminded me of a persistent pup always getting into trouble."_ Suicune said for all to her. Everyone one was momentarily silent as the wondered if she had actually spoke to them of if they were just drunk. It didn't matter and soon the whole room burst into laughter.

After a while, the party began to wind down and people started to leave. Jake gathered up his things and followed Suicune as she led him out; his head buzzed pleasantly from the wine. He stumbled as he climbed on her back and she sprinted him home.

Once home, Jake deposited his things on his bed and flopped down next to them. He glanced at his clock, shocked that it was almost night time already. Suicune nudged him, making him look at her with a confused look.

_"Come, I have a gift for you myself."_ She said.

"Wait for me downstairs…I'll be down soon." He replied. She nodded and made her way downstairs. About a minute later, he joined her. She led him outside where she had him climb onto her back. She took off in a run as she headed into the forest.

Jake remembered the path she was taking and realized they were going to the cliff. He was right. They arrived at the cliff in just a few minutes. Suicune crouched to allow Jake to climb down from her. She didn't think he could land if he jumped down in his inebriated state. Suicune laid down in a soft patch of grass and Jake joined her. She smiled at him and started to kiss him passionately. Before she could get into the kiss, he stopped.

"Before you give me my gift…I have a gift for you." He said reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the soothe bell. It was strung on soft red silk and made into a necklace. It shimmered as it caught the light of the setting sun. She lowered her head and allowed him to slip the bell over her neck.

_"Oh, Jake…it's beautiful."_ She said as a tear formed in her eye. Jake wiped it away.

"I wouldn't give you anything less." He said. She wrapped a paw around him and pulled him in for a kiss. Jake didn't stop her this time as he returned the kiss as well. When their lips parted, Suicune smiled gently before laying him back.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked as a flashback from one of his dreams shot through his mind.

_"Giving you your gift."_ She said as her eyes started glowing. Jake felt himself grow tired and he struggled to stay awake. _"I have to do this…your gift isn't quite ready yet." _ She added as Jake slipped into the sleep-like state she put him in. Jake wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not. All he could see was Suicune approaching him slowly.

_"Wake up." She said softly._

Jake woke up to find himself on his side. Suicune was sitting a few feet away. Something seemed different. He rubbed his eyes and stopped when he felt his face…it felt different, much longer than before. He opened his eyes to see that he was rubbing his face with a paw. He jumped up and turned to look at himself. Somehow, he had become a Suicune.

_"What did you do to me?"_ he asked in a panicked voice.

_"I turned you into a Suicune."_ She replied calmly.

_"WHY?"_

_ "Calm down Jake…It's not a permanent change unless you want it to be."_

_ "What do you mean?"_

_ "I turned you into a Suicune, but I can change you back if you want…but I prefer you waited a little while."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Jake I love you…and I want to be with you. We understand each other better than we do anyone else. I want to bare your children, but we are not compatible if you're in you're a human. So I changed you for the time being."_

_ "Suicune…I…"_

_ "Jake, please? Will you do this for me?"_

Before he could answer she locked her lips with his in a passionate kiss, slipping her flat tongue into his mouth briefly. When they parted, Jake knew what his answer was.

_"Yes, Suicune, my love. I will do this for you."_ Pure joy radiated from Suicune as she kissed him again. They snuggled together enjoying the sunset and their new found love.

_**THE END**_


End file.
